CERVULUS AUREUS. 265 



It is yet undecided whether the Kakur of India is distinct from the 

 Muntjac of Java and Malayana. Blyth, in his Catalogue, has considered 

 them the same, as Elliot had previously. Horsfield, in his Catalogue 

 of Mammalia, puts them distinct, but says that the specific distinctions 

 are by no means strongly 1 marked. Schinz, in his Synopsis Marnm., gives 

 three species from continental India; viz., 0. styloceros of Royle's Illustra- 

 tions, and C. Jtatwd, Hodgson, both from the Himalayas ; and C. albipes 

 from Poonah ; all of which he considers distinct from C. Muntjac of 

 Malayana. Gray also considered the Malayan race distinct, stating that 

 it was generally darker than the Indian animal. Dr. Sclater, from 

 observation of the living animals in menageries, says that they appear 

 sufficiently distinct ; and this is the view I have long taken. 



The Rib-faced deer is found in all the thick jungles and forests of India, 

 from the extreme south to the Himalayas, and from a low level to 8,000 

 or 9,000 feet in the Himalayas. It is most abundant in hilly countries, 

 and it is quite a forest animal, only coming to the skirts of the woods 

 morning and evening to graze. It is a solitary animal, very rarely even 

 two being found together. It carries its head and neck low, and as its 

 hind quarters are high, its action in running is peculiar, and not very 

 elegant, somewhat resembling the pace of a sheep ; hence its popular but 

 very erroneous name in Southern India. " It has," says Hodgson, " no 

 powers of sustained speed and extensive leap, but is unmatched for flexi- 

 bility and power of creeping through tangled underwood. They have, in- 

 deed, a weasel-like flexibility of spine and limbs, enabling them to wend on 

 without kneeling, even when there is little more than 6 inches (?) of perpen- 

 dicular passage-room ; thus escaping their great enemy the wild dog." 



In the Himalayas, near Darjeeling, two or three bowmen, with three or 

 four common hill dogs, will often chase one to death in an hour or so. I 

 have seen it hunted with foxhounds on the Neelgherries, and run down 

 with tolerable ease, the woods there being very open ; and if it be driven 

 out of the woods, a greyhound will quickly pull it down. It is easily 

 stalked, and on the Himalayas many are killed during the winter, when 

 the snow is on the ground. It gets its name of barking deer from its 

 call, which is a kind of short bark like that of the fox, but louder, and 

 it may be heard in the jungles it frequents both by day and by night. 

 Colonel Markham says that, " as it runs, a curious rattling noise may 

 often be heard, like that from two pieces of loose bone knocked together 

 sharply." It is excellent venison, but rarely carries any fat. 



