THE DEER TRIBE 



291 



The SWAMP-DEER, the true Barasingh of 

 India, as distinguished from the Kashmir 

 stag, which is often loosely called Barasingh, 

 is a plain-loving species, found in various 

 parts of India, and characterised by hand- 

 some antlers, bearing as many as from 10 to 

 16 points. This is a big, heavy deer, stand- 

 ing nearly 4 feet at the withers, and weigh- 

 ing as much as 560 Ibs. The summer coat 

 is light rufous, more or less spotted with 

 white. The winter coat is yellowish brown. 

 A near relative to this deer is SCHOMBURGK's 

 DEER, found in Northern Siam. The antlers 

 of this stag are most curiously forked and 

 bifurcated. 



The THAMIN, or ELD'S DEER, sometimes 

 called the Brow-antlered Deer, is another 

 plains-deer, found chiefly from Manipur, 

 through Burma, to the Malay Peninsula. 

 It is a good-sized species, standing about 

 3 feet 9 inches at the shoulder, and weighing 

 as much as 240 Ibs. The large antlers are 

 simple in type, the brow-tines curving down 

 curiously over the forehead ; the tail is 

 sharp, and the neck provided with a mane, the young being spotted. A Siamese race of Eld's 

 deer, found in Siam and Hainan, differs somewhat from the Burmese type. 



MALE SIBERIAN ROE 



A -very large species of roebuck, with more rugged antlers than tht 

 European roe 



THE 





FEMALE SIBERIAN ROE 



The absence of a tail, characteristic of all roes, is 'well s 



MUNTJACS 



The MUNTJACS, or BARKING-DEER, are a 

 group of small deer found in India, Burma, 

 and the Malay region. The INDIAN MUNTJAC 

 stands about 2 feet in height, and weighs 

 some 28 Ibs. The antlers, which average 5 

 or 6 inches in length, bear two points 

 brow-tine and beam ; the lower portions, or 

 pedicles, are curiously covered with hair, and 

 the front of the face is ribbed or ridged in 

 V fashion. The general colour is a golden 

 bay, the face and limbs brown, and the lower 

 parts white. The buck has sharp tusks in 

 the upper jaw, and, at a pinch, knows how to 

 make use of them. A shy, stealthy little 

 creature, the muntjac loves dense cover, and 

 the sportsman usually obtains but a quick 

 snapshot at this active and wary little deer 

 as it flashes across him much as does a bolting 

 rabbit scuttling across a narrow drive. Local 

 Indian names for the barking-deer are Jungle- 

 sheep, Red Hog-deer, and Rib-faced Deer. 

 Other muntjacs, varying somewhat from the 

 Indian form, are the HAIRY-FRONTED, the 

 TENASSERIM, the TIBETAN, and the CHINESE 

 MUNTJACS. 



