ORDER ARTIODACTYLA: EVEN-TOED UNGULATES 443 



extreme southern part of Bassac. The animal is nowhere frequent. 

 Where three herds of 15 to 30 head each could be met with in one 

 day, only one herd is observed now and not every day of 2 or at 

 most 5 head! The causes of depletion are: hunting by night with 

 lanterns (in the whole territory) ; hunting with nets (particularly in 

 Saravane) ; and organized encircling hunting (in Saravane alone 

 on two occasions previous to 1921). Protective measures which 

 ought to be adopted are: prohibition of the forms of hunting men- 

 tioned above; prohibition of hunting during the breeding season; 

 and establishment of temporary reserves. Economic uses include 

 consumption of the meat and trade in the horns and hides. 



James L. Clark writes (in litt., June 26, 1936) : 



"The sambar and the hog deer and also the Eld's deer, which 

 grow horns in the velvet, are, of course, in danger at all times from 

 the onslaught of the Chinese and their agents. 



"About 1925, in and around Dalat, the natives and others were 

 killing the Eld's Deer by night and by day, so fast that the Govern- 

 ment shut down completely on their killing and established an 

 enclosed area, now completely surrounded by a road, which has 

 frequent parking places where people can stop and view the animals 

 from the road. 



"No one is allowed to carry a gun within this area, and apparently 

 the French are controlling it very well. 



"As a guess, it is estimated that there are from 2,000 to 5,000 

 Eld's deer in the Dalat reserve." 



[The Hainan Brow-antlered Deer (Rucervus eldii hainanus 

 Thomas, 1918) is restricted to that island. No information is at hand 

 concerning its numerical status or need for protection. It is figured 

 by Lydekker (1898b, pi. 15).] 



Shansi Sika 



CERVUS NIPPON GRASSIANUS (Heude) 



S[ikdillus] grassianus Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Empire Chinois, vol. 4, pt. 4, 

 p. 210, pi. 37, fig. 13, 1898. ("Chan-si septentrional" Tching-lo-hsien, 

 near Ning-wu-fu, Shansi (fide Sowerby, 1917, pp. 11, 17, 18).) 



This deer is evidently facing extinction. 



Head in general grayish brown; body dark grayish brown, shading 

 into rich brown on the back and lower portions of the legs; spots 

 almost invisible; a patch of long white hairs, surrounded by black, 

 on outer hind leg below heel; tail black above, white beneath; croup 

 disk white, edged with black above ; belly and inner surface of thighs 

 white. Head and body, 60 inches; height at shoulders, 42 inches; 

 tail, 8 inches; horns, 19| inches; weight of male, about 220 Ib. 

 (Sowerby, 1918, p. 120.) 



