256 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



Thamin (Cervus frontalis). Hog-deer (Cervus 

 porcinus). There are two varieties of the thamin 

 one that inhabits Burma and Siam, and the other 

 Manipur. The basal antler of the latter is longer and 

 a continuation of the main horn, slightly bent upwards 

 and forward, and often there are no terminal branches 

 even in a full-grown stag, whilst with the former there 

 are always terminal branches, the basal and main horn 

 forming more of an angle and less of a curve. In size 

 they are larger than a spotted deer, but less than the 

 marsh deer. In proportion to their height they have 

 large and graceful antlers. I have shot them with six 

 tines on each beam, but often there are excrescences 

 which might almost be counted as points. They are 

 gregarious, live in open " quins " or plains surrounded 

 by forest, and a herd of from twenty to thirty members 

 is not unusual. As a rule they are very wary and 

 difficult to get near, but after the first rains have fallen 

 the graceful creatures are so tormented by gad flies, 

 that their whole attention is taken up in knocking off 

 those pests, so provided the wind be favourable, a wary 

 hunter should have no difficulty in getting within 

 shot. Hog-deer abound everywhere in Assam and 

 Burma, but are not plentiful in India, being found 

 in only a few localities far apart. They run like 

 hares and are anything but easy to shoot with ball, 

 although they lie very close ; so if you want meat 

 for the camp, use shot, when you can bowl them 

 over as easily as rabbits, but at the same time they 

 possess great vitality and I have seen one run before 

 it fell a hundred yards and more with the entrails 

 trailing. In the monsoon they are more or less 

 spotted, the young invariably so. They can be easily 



