The Axis. 



163 



THE AXIS. (Cervus Axis.) 



A VERY beautiful species of the Deer is found in the East 

 Indies, of a light red colour, though some of the kind 

 are of a deeper red. It is about the size of a fallow 

 deer, and often variegated with beautiful spots of bright 

 white. The horns are slender and triple-forked. The 

 Axis is a timid and harmless creature, more ornamental 

 to the landscape, where it skips and plays in a wild 

 state, than useful to man. It is extremely docile, and 

 possesses the sense of smelling to an exquisite degree. 

 Though it is a native of the banks of the Ganges, it 

 appears to bear the climates of Europe without injury. 



THE MUSK DEER. (Moschus moschiferus.) 



THIS is a small species of Deer, quite destitute of horns, 

 which lives 011 the vast plains of Central Asia. It is 

 distinguished by possessing a pair of canine teeth or 

 tusks in the upper jaw ; and these teeth, which are not 

 found in the ruminant animals generally, are so long in 

 the Musk Deer that they project from the sides of the 



