The Shou, or Sikhim Stag 



THE SHOU, OR SIKHIM STAG 



{Cervus affinis) 



Native Name. — Shou^ Bhotias of Nepal and 

 Darjiling 



(Plate vi, fig. 2) 



Although its magnificent antlers are not uncommon 

 in collections, few British sportsmen have seen the 

 shou alive ; and in Europe it is chiefly known by 

 skulls and antlers, although the British Museum 

 possesses one mounted head. Of the general appear- 

 ance of this stag our chief knowledge is derived trom 

 two coloured sketches formerly belonging to its 

 describer, Brian Hodgson, and now preserved in the 

 library of the Zoological Society of London. 



Shou-antlers (fig '}^^^ present the same marked bend 

 at the third tine and the inward inclination of the 

 long fifth tine so conspicuous in the Kashmir hangul, 

 in addition to which they are also abruptly bent forward 

 above the third tine, so that when suspended in the 

 ordinary position the upper portion overhangs the 

 skull. As in the hangul, there are usually five points ; 

 but the brow-tine seems to be less constantly longer 

 than the second, and is closer to the burr than is often 

 the case in the Kashmir species. More important is 

 the circumstance that the terminal fork is placed at 

 right angles to the axis of the head, so as to look 

 directly forwards ; and the fifth tine is nearly always 

 markedly larger than the fourth. Judging from the 

 size of its skull and antlers, the shou must apparently 

 fall little if at all short of the stature of the wapiti. As 

 regards coloration, accurate information is a desideratum. 

 The mounted head in the British Museum, which has 

 suffered by fading since it was presented more than 

 half a century ago by Brian Hodgson, is pale rufous 



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