Jungle By-Ways in India 



I depict this head here, as the shikari and other 

 natives who saw it maintained that there are two 

 varieties of sambhar, and that animals with heads 

 like this form a distinct variety. 



Three months later I was down in Mandla in the 

 Central Provinces, and a shikari picked up the 

 shed horn shown in the accompanying plate. It 

 is much larger than my head, but also has no 

 upper tine. The local shikari in that locality 

 also maintained that it was a different variety. 



I should be inclined to favour the supposition 

 that the sambhar were old beasts ' going back/ 

 i.e. that the horns as the animal grows old 

 diminish in size and lose their upper tines. As 

 against this theory, however, is the fact that 

 sambhar with this kind of horn are rarely met 

 with. 



Curiosities and monstrosities are of course met 

 with in sambhar heads as in other deer and 

 antelope. I have a sketch of a curious head shot 

 by Captain Willis, of the 2gth Lancers. This latter 

 may, however, be the result of a cross between 

 a sambhar and barasingha, as it exhibits many of 

 the characteristics of both. 



For an explanation of the horn with the upper 

 tine wanting, we seem to need more information 

 as to the plentifulness of animals bearing such 

 heads. It is an interesting point for shikaris. 



