942 THE UNGULATES, OR HOOFED MAMMALS 



little for the neighborhood of man. Many of its favorite haunts are in some of 

 the most beautiful wild scenery of the Indian plains, and lower hills, on the margins 

 of rippling streams with their banks overgrown by lofty trees, or in the grassy 

 glades that open out amidst the exquisite foliage of bamboo clumps. Spotted deer 

 are thoroughly gregarious and associate at all times of the year in herds, sometimes 

 of several hundreds. They are less nocturnal than sambur, and may be found feed- 

 ing for three or four hours after sunrise, and again in the afternoon for an hour or 

 two before sunset. They generally drink between eight and ten o'clock in the 



\ 



THE INDIAN SPOTTED DEER. 

 ( One-fifteenth natural size. ) 



morning, the time varying with the season of the year, and repose during the day in 

 deep shade. They swim well, and take readily to water. They both graze and browse. ' ' 



It appears that there is a great range of individual variation as regards the date 

 of the pairing season and the shedding of the antlers, bucks with fully-developed 

 antlers being met with at all times of the year. In Northern India the pairing sea- 

 son seems, however, to be generally during the winter, although young fawns may 

 apparently be met with at any season. 



As regards its usual habits, General Kinloch writes that " the chital is a shy 

 and retiring animal, lying quiet in the densest thickets during the heat of the day,. 



