The Muntjac 



far as I am aware, none of the scientific names usually 

 regarded as synonyms of the Indian animal were 

 originally applied to Burmese or Malay specimens. 

 The name C. pleiharicus was, indeed, proposed by 

 Mr. KohlBrilgger in 1896 for the Bornean muntjac, 

 but I have no means of knowing that this is identical 

 with the Burmese -Malay animal. I have therefore 

 proposed to designate the latter as a distinct race, 

 characterised by its large and massive antlers, under 

 the name of Cervulus muntjac grandicornis} 



The true or Indian muntjac, inclusive ot local races, 

 ranges from the outer Himalaya to Cape Comorin ; 

 and is also found in Ceylon, and extends eastwards 

 through Arracan and Burma into the Malay Peninsula, 

 and so onwards to the Malay islands and the coast 

 districts of China. Muntjac from the south of India are 

 smaller than those from the more northerly districts ; 

 while, as noted above, those from the Malay Peninsula 

 and islands are larger. 



Like the majority of the smaller deer, muntjacs are 

 unsociable creatures, passing the greater portion ot 

 their time in solitude, although seeking the society of 

 a mate during the pairing-season. More than a pair 

 are seldom seen in company, although three, and even 

 four, have been observed together. Muntjac only 

 leave the thick covert in which they dwell for the sake 

 of drinking or of feeding on the grass of the adjacent 

 glades ; and as they are strictly nocturnal, they are 

 scarcely ever seen except when driven from their re- 

 treats. When walking quickly, they move their limbs 

 in a peculiarly stilted and deliberate manner ; but, 

 when running, scuttle along with the head carried low 

 and the hind-quarters elevated, the same mode of 

 progress being followed when creeping through thick 

 covert. 



The pairing-season, in the more northern districts of 

 the country, takes place in January and February for the 



1 The Field, vol. civ. p. 780, 1904-. 

 261 



