THE CEYLON ELK 



forms a very soft kind of leather, and this is one of the 

 principal inducements for the ruthless slaughter of this fine 

 animal by the natives. 



The buck's antlers are three-tined, having a brow tine, 

 and main tine with one branch tine. Irregular heads with 

 extra abortive points are found occasionally I once saw 

 an antler bearing seven points. 



As usual, Indian heads are far better than Ceylon 

 heads, although I believe the latter may occasionally be 

 more massive, but nothing near so long. 



The record head for Ceylon would seem to be 3 1 inches 

 ('vide Alfred Clark's "Sport in the Low Country of Ceylon"), 

 whilst for India Blanford mentions a head of 48 inches, 

 but says that exceptionally good heads measure 35 to 38 

 inches. 



Any head over 28 inches would be exceptionally good 

 for Ceylon. 



The alarm call of both sexes is a deep metallic note, 

 best likened to a single cough uttered into a megaphone. 

 The note of the buck is deeper than that of the doe. 



The buck's " love call " is an amazing series of grunts, 

 snorts, coughs, and wheezes, calculated to thoroughly sur- 

 prise a novice on first hearing such extraordinary noises in 

 the depths of the forest. 



If a sportsman is lucky enough to hear the above sounds, 

 he stands a grand chance of bringing off a successful stalk, 

 as the buck is fairly easily approached at that time, and can 

 be deceived by similar noises into thinking that another 

 buck is approaching. 



I have only once had the luck to get such a chance, and 

 then, as related further on, I brought off the stalk all right 

 but failed to bag the buck. 



The pity is that these grand animals are being so 



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