Game Animals of India, etc. 



height at the withers is between 40 and 42 inches, the 

 general build is heavy, with the legs coarse and clumsy, 

 and the long pointed beard occupies the middle of the 

 chin. In the scimitar-shaped horns of the males the 

 front surface is broad, with no bevelling-away of the 

 outer edge, and bears a number of prominent and 

 thick knots or knobs, of which the outer is almost as 

 much developed as the inner side. In section these 

 horns form a complete triangle, with the hinder angle 

 compressed. Female horns are much smaller, more 

 widely separated at their bases, and coarsely rugose or 

 ringed, without knots ; their transverse section being 

 oval at the base but compressed above : they curve 

 slightly backwards. The fur is coarse, dense, and 

 somewhat brittle ; along the back of the old bucks it is 

 elongated to form a kind of crest, and in winter, at 

 any rate, it is underlain by a thick coat of under-fur, 

 or pashm, which may be visible at the surface during 

 the season when the coat is shed. 



The colour varies so much according to sex, age, 

 and locality, that it is difficult to give a description 

 applicable to all the varieties. In summer the pre- 

 vailing colour of the upper-parts is, however, some 

 shade of brown, varying from whitey brown to chocolate 

 (in old males), and in some instances with a large 

 buffish-white saddle on the hind part of the back, and 

 a smaller patch of the same on the withers. The 

 under-parts may be nearly the same colour as the back, 

 or markedly lighter. In winter the coat is generally 

 paler, being often yellowish or dirty white ; but 

 especially in old males in the early part of the season, 

 it may be chocolate, with the light saddle. At all 

 times a chocolate streak generally runs down the 

 middle of the back ; and the beard, tail, and legs are 

 usually dark chocolate - brown, although the latter 

 may be white on the hind surface. The females, 

 which are smaller than their mates, are generally more 

 uniformly coloured, being greyish brown with dark 



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