84 



KUMINANTS AND THEIE DISTRIBUTION. 



tip. It is noteworthy that in a few small deer in which 

 the males have no antlers, they are compensated by having 

 long tusks in the upper jaw. 



The tiny orien- 

 tal chevrotains, 

 and the larger 

 African water- 

 chevrotain form 

 a group quite dis- 

 tinct from all the 

 above, and are 

 in some respects 

 related to the 

 swine. None of 

 them have ant- 

 lers, and the 

 African species 

 is the only living 

 ruminant in 

 which the two 

 elements of the 

 front cannon- 

 bone remain 

 separate, thus 

 affording another 

 instance of the 

 survival of primi- 

 tive forms in 

 Africa. 



Lastly, we have the group of camels and llamas, which 

 differ from other ruminants in that their feet form cushion - 

 like pads, while their upper jaws possess front teeth. 

 According to the latest researches it is considered probable 

 that this group has diverged from primitive swine-like 

 animals quite independently of the true ruminants, an 

 inference which is very remarkable, showing that selenodont 

 teeth, a complex stomach, the function of rumination, and 

 the single cannon-bone, have been acquired quite inde- 

 pendently in the two groups. The present distribution 

 of camels and llamas is remarkable, the former being 



FIG. 30. Antlers of Ked (A) and Sambar (B) 

 Deer, a brow-, b bez-, c trez-tine, d e sur- 

 royals. (After Blanford.) 



