THE KANCHIL THE NAPU 103 



might be expected, maltreat each other, they are harmless little things ; 

 and in one case, when one of the present species was kept in the 

 Calcutta Zoo in the aviary along with some birds, I noticed a hen 

 Gold Pheasant had struck up a friendship with the little Deer, and 

 always kept near it. 



THE KANCHIL 



( Tragulus javanicus) 



THE Kanchil, or Little Malay Chevrotain, is the smallest of the family, 

 and thus the smallest of ruminants except the little Royal Antelope 

 of West Africa. It is, in fact, about as big as an ordinary Rabbit ; 

 its coat is of a rich red-brown, with the under-parts white, and the 

 throat streaked brown and white. The tail is longer than in the 

 spotted Indian Mouse-Deer. The Kanchil ranges from Malacca to 

 Java, and, like all the family, is a forest animal. Its name, in Malay, 

 means "little," and in the folk-tales of the Malays it stands for the 

 small, weak, but cunning creature which outwits stronger ones by 

 dint of brain-power and resource, just as the Rabbit does in Negro 

 stories, and the Wren in European fairy tales. In the case of the 

 Kanchil, at any rate, there is probably some foundation for this view 

 of its character ; for, unless these little primitive creatures are very 

 cunning, it is difficult to see how they have existed for so many ages, 

 since they have neither great speed nor defensive weapons, and are 

 not highly prolific. 



THE NAPU 



(Tragulus napu) 



THE Napu is the largest of the Asiatic Mouse-Deer, rather exceeding 

 the Indian spotted species in size. In colour, however, it is very 

 similar to the Kanchil, and, like that species, has a longer tail than 

 the Indian one. It has much the same range as the Kanchil, but is 

 not nearly so abundant an animal. Apart from the great difference 

 in size (the Kanchil being only about eighteen inches long from nose 



