THE TEAK REGION. 239 



with very perfect horns, a long distance across a valley with 

 the " Express." These little creatures are very common in the 

 hills we were hunting in, living solitary or in small groups in 

 all parts of the range. The female is hornless, while the buck 

 has four distinct sheathed horns. The posterior pair are four 

 or five inches long, and set upon high pedicles covered with 

 hair. The anterior pair are generally mere knobs, and never 

 exceed in length an inch and three-fourths. In some speci- 

 mens they are even absent altogether. The animal is found 

 throughout India ; and appears to be generally without the 

 anterior horns in the South. Here, in Central India, some 

 have them and some have not. I never could see any other 

 difference between them ; but it is not altogether certain that 

 there are not two distinct species. The preponderance of 

 females appears to be very great, quite as great as in the case 

 of the ordinary Indian antelope, though, from their not con- 

 gregating in large herds, it is not so much observed. To kill 

 a buck at all is rare, and to kill one with four well developed 

 horns is much rarer still. They seem to be very retiring little 

 creatures, never coming to the crops, and moving very little 

 out of the limited area where they find food and water. There 

 is scarcely a water-hole in all these regions which is not fre- 

 quented by one or more, and they are nearly certain to be 

 found during the day lying in the nearest patch of grass. 

 They make little forms like those of the sambar, and allow 

 themselves almost to be trodden on before they start. They 

 run for a short distance at an incredible velocity, with their 

 necks low and making themselves as small as possible, till they 

 suddenly stop, but always with such art that a tree stump, or 

 mound, or thick bush shall screen them from the observer ; 

 then another short dash, and another halt, and so on till out 

 of sight. They are nearly sure to be found in the same place 



