CHAPTER XXVI 



THE SPOTTED DEER (c. AXIS) : HOG-DEER (c. POBCINUS) 



WITHOUT any exception, this is the most beautiful and graceful of 

 the deer tribe, although, like the sambur, it has only six tines upon 

 the antlers. These are very long, slender, gracefully curved, and 

 exceedingly sharp at the points. 



The stag is a little larger than a fallow buck. The skin is a 

 rich dark brown, glossy and short ; this is completely covered with 

 snow-white spots. The belly and the inside of the thighs are white. 



In India this species is generally known by the name cheetul, 

 but the habits of the deer are different from those of Ceylon. In 

 the latter colony they are found upon plains in the neighbourhood 

 of forests, until about an hour after sunrise ; they again reappear 

 upon the open at about 4-30 P.M. In the northern district, about 

 Jaffna and Illepecadewe', there were an immense number when I 

 knew the country many years ago. They were so little disturbed 

 that I have seen them upon the open, and beneath shady trees and 

 bushes throughout the day, in herds of upwards of a hundred each. 

 In India the cheetul is generally found in thick jungles upon the 

 banks of rivers, where the country is much broken, and intersected 

 by nullahs and water-courses. 



Stalking the spotted deer in Ceylon was always an enjoyment, 

 as the animal was, like most other deer, always on the alert, and 

 the sport required both skill and patience, combined with accurate 

 shooting. 



In India I have never seen them in any numbers approaching 

 to my early experience in Ceylon. I remember at Illepecadewe' 

 we had nine bucks hanging up in camp as the produce of one day's 

 sport. Fortunately we had a great number of coolies to consume 

 the flesh, but even then a portion decayed before they had time to 

 prepare it thoroughly. 



Whenever there is an excess of supply in a tropical country, 



