THE CASHMERE STAG. 261 



the time of year when the majority of sportsmen were, in 

 those days, obliged to quit Cashmere. I therefore resolved 

 to abide by the old man's decision, and had no reason after- 

 wards to repent having done so. 



The Cashmere stag (Cervus Wallichii), or hangul, as he is 

 named in his own country, requires but little description, 

 further than that he is merely an exaggerated red-deer stag. 

 The horns of this noble animal are larger than those of any 

 other Himalayan deer, except perhaps the " shou " or Sikim 

 stag (Cervus affinis), which is found in some of the south- 

 eastern parts of the Himalayan range; but I have never 

 seen him. In weight I should say, at a rough guess, the 

 hangul must be from 25 to 30 stone clean. Like the ibex 

 and other large game of the higher Himalayas, he is pro- 

 vided during winter with an undercoat of the very fine and 

 soft pile known as "pushum." I have seen a set of horns 

 with seventeen well - defined points ; but the usual number 

 on a well -developed pair is from ten to twelve, those with 

 ten often being more massive than those having a greater 

 number. The three upper tines, or royals, are not so closely 

 set together at their base, or " cupped," as it is commonly 

 termed, as those of red-deer, and the beam is usually more 

 curved. The hind is called "minnyemer" by the Cash- 

 merees, the word "mooee" being applied by them to these 

 deer collectively. This animal is customarily talked of as 

 the "barasingha" (twelve - horned), which designation, as 

 also " burrasingha " (large -horned), is given promiscuously 

 by Europeans as well as by natives to all varieties of large- 

 horned deer in India, but never by natives when they speak 

 of them among themselves, only when describing them to 

 foreigners. From this I conclude that the misnomer was 

 originally coined by those who were unacquainted with their 

 true local appellation, and thence adopted by shikarees and 

 others for the large -horned Indian deer in general, though 

 for none in particular. I have even heard the jurrow or 



