DEER. 



2(>3 



islands, and from Nepal, are all different from each 

 other. They are elegantly formed creatures, am!, 

 notwithstanding their produced canine teeth, they 

 have a very mild and gentle aspect. The following 

 is the description of the Sumatra species or variety : 

 The body is compact ; the legs remarkably fine and 

 slender ; the muzzle is rather broad ; and the canines 

 assume the form of inverted tusks, sharp at their 

 points, turned towards the animal, and outwards. 

 Two rib-like eminences ascend from above the nose 

 over the eyes, and, elevating themselves from the 

 head, in the form of slender pedestals, to the height 

 of two and a half inches, terminate in a flattened 

 summit. Upon these the horns are placed, about 

 three or four inches long, forked at top, with the 



Eoints turned inwards, and with a small branch at the 

 ase pointing forwards ; between the ribs the skin of 

 the face is doubled into a fold, which has the appear- 

 ance of a third or central rib ; the fur is fine and 

 dose, of a greyish brown, paler beneath ; the breast, 

 inside and anterior face of the thighs, are whitish ; 

 the tail is short, dark above and white below. 



The Malay name of this animal is Kijang, or 

 Muntjak, the "latter of which has been adopted as the 

 specific distinction. They are understood to live in 

 pairs, in the same manner as the roebuck. Several 

 varieties of them have been imported from Sumatra, 

 from the Philippines, and from other parts of the 

 Indian Archipelago, the history of which is not very 

 clearly made out: but the following is the description 

 of one from the Philippine islands : " The peduncles 

 and the horns are about one-fourth the length of the 

 head, and thicker than those of the kijang, and the 

 ridges which terminate in them extend down only as 

 far as the eyes. The rest of the face is flat, with the 

 forehead slightly arched ; there is a dark streak on 

 the anterior base of the pedicles, and between them 

 the hair is black, forming a spot with the point 

 downwards, and leaves a crescent of a dirty buff 

 between them ; this colour spreads round the orbits 

 and on the cheeks ; the lachrymal sinus is dark ; the 

 ear> rather short and obtuse, whitish within, dull buff 

 outside ; the colour of the coat is wholly brown sepia- 

 grey, clearer on the throat, and darkest on the neck 

 and eyes ; the tail is three inches long, black above 

 and white beneath." There are several museum 

 specimens from the Oriental Islands, which appear to 

 differ from each other ; but as some of them are only 

 fragments, their characters are not fully made out. 

 There is one, however, of which a pretty distinct 

 account is given : 



THE NEPAL MUNTJAK, or Musk-deer of Nepal 

 Cervus moschatus. In the Oriental Collections for 

 January, &c. 1798, vol. ii., Sir William Ousley figures 

 an animal, under the name of Musk-deer of Nepal, 

 from a drawing executed by a native artist, with the 

 following dimensions, communicated by Colonel Iron- 

 side : Length, from between the ears to tail, two 

 feet four inches ; height, two feet ; length of head, 

 seven inches ; of the tail, six inches and three 

 quarters ; of the tusks, two inches and one-eighth ; 

 the hair bristly and thick, two inches long. By the 

 illuminated plate, the animal must be entirely dull 

 fawn colour, with the superior part of the tail alone 

 dark ; the horns, placed upon high pedicles, are dark, 

 simple, without branches, and pointing to the rear ; 

 the limbs are very slender ; the spurious hoofs small ; 

 tno neck rather short. The habitat and character of 

 tne hair render it probable that it is a distinct species ; 



and although no reason is assigned ibr the name of 

 musk-deer, that being the designation of the natives, 

 render it probable that it is impregnated with a 

 musky smell. Altogether, these are rather singular 

 animals. The length of the canine teeth is a very 

 remarkable character, and one which is somewhat 

 puzzling, as, along with this armature of the mouth, 

 the animals are remarkable for the gentleness of their 

 manners. The fact of the horns being shed only once, 

 or at most twice during the life of the animal ; and if 

 this is fully established, it will be sufficient ground for 

 taking these animals out of the genus Cervus, and 

 establishing them into one entirely peculiar ; but, in 

 the meantime, we want information respecting them. 

 There is no doubt, however, that they have many 

 peculiarities ; and as they are found in so many parts 

 of the East, and with different characters in the 

 different localities, they may perhaps, when better 

 understood, throw additional light on the zoology of 

 the legions to which they belong. It is understood 

 that they are gregarious, and very timid and gentle 

 in their manners ; that they do not live in large 

 herds, but in small packs or families in the woods ; 

 and though they unquestionably partake more of the 

 characters of the deer than of those of any other 

 genus, they are undoubtedly very peculiar, and there 

 are no animals in the east the more perfect his- 

 tory of which would be more desirable. This is 

 the more to be desired, from the fact, that there does 

 not appear to be anything analogous to them, either 

 living or fossil, in any other part of the world. There 

 are many points, however, in their structural history 

 of which we are in a great measure ignorant, and 

 which will require to be cleared up in a satisfactory 

 manner before we can confidently decide whether 

 they are to remain as part of the genus Cervus, or 

 whether they ought to form an entirely new genus. 

 The zeal and assiduity with which the natural history 

 of the East is now prosecuted cannot leave this point 

 long unsettled. 



The species which we have now noticed comprise 

 all the deer of the eastern hemisphere ; and if we 

 imagine a straight line drawn from Spain to the Island 

 of Timor, all the countries in the hemisphere which 

 lie to the north-east of this line are inhabited by deer, 

 though partially mixed with antelopes in several of 

 the middle regions, while all to the south-west is the 

 proper country of the antelopes. It is true that deer 

 thrive well in the Mauritius and the Isle of France, 

 but they are imported animals there ; and we believe 

 there were no ruminantia in those islands when first 

 discovered. 



III. DEER OF AMERICA. 



It only remains now to give a short notice of those 

 species of deer which are found in the American 

 continent, and not in any other part of the world, and 

 we shall take them in order from north to south, 

 though some of them inhabit nearly the same regions. 

 There is, however, some confusion in these species, 

 arising from differences of colour, having been perhaps 

 incautiously made specific. 



THE WAPITI Cervus strongyloceros. This species 

 is now well known in Britain, from living specimens 

 being kept in the different zoological gardens ; but it 

 is probable that another described species should be 

 referred to this one, namely, the Canadian Stag 

 (Cervus Canadensis), of which there are also varieties 

 mentioned. We shall quote Hamilton Smith's de- 

 scription of the Wapiti as being the best, both on 



