Antlers 



THE INDIAN MOUSE DEER 



The little mouse deer, or chevrotain (Tragulus 

 minimus^, is worthy of mention here, both on 

 account of its tiny size, it being the smallest of all 

 Indian deer, and also owing to the fact that it is 

 not uncommonly met with in the Central Provinces 

 and in the forests stretching away from these down 

 through Chota Nagpur, Orissa into Southern 

 India, where it is found up to 2000 feet, and west- 

 ward along the Western Ghats to north of 

 Bombay. 



It is a tiny brown deer, minutely speckled with 

 yellow ; the sides spotted with white or buff, the 

 lower parts being white. There are three white 

 stripes on the throat. 



The average height of the mouse deer is 10 

 inches only at the shoulder, and the weight 5 to 

 6 Ibs. only. 



One often puts up this dainty little deer in grass 

 amongst rocks or trappy, scrub-covered country, 

 and it can be easily bowled over with a charge of 

 No. 6. 



According to the Authorities it breeds at the 

 end of the rains September, October. It is very 

 easily tamed. 



As the animal has no horns and thus does not 

 form a trophy, it is rarely shot, save perhaps for 

 the pot. One is usually, however, after more 



83 



