THE DEER OF INDIA 



about one hundred yards, though for the moment,, 

 he too has vanished. Nature's setting still remains, 

 radiant as before, but the gems have disappeared 

 from it, and with them much of the beauty of the 

 panorama. 



The height of the spotted stag at the shoulder is 

 from 36 to 38 inches. Although the bright chestnut 

 ground-colour, thickly studded with spots of snowy 

 white, would seem to be sufficient adornment, nature 

 has added other diversities of colouring to complete 

 the elaborate attire of this singularly ornate animal. 

 A very dark streak runs from neck to tail, the 

 muzzle is dark, the throat white, the ears brown, 

 the tail long for a deer, and white underneath, the 

 under parts also being whitish. 



The horns, like those of the sambur, have each 

 (normally) but two points on the top and a brow 

 antler, but small abnormal points are not unfre- 

 quently thrown out from the base of the last. A 

 stag with 3<D-inch horns is worth shooting, but fine 

 heads are to be had up to 36 or 37 inches in length. 



The horns are shed, probably annually, but 

 without any regularity whatever, stags in hard 

 horn, in velvet, and without horns being found 

 simultaneously. 



The spotted deer is widely distributed throughout 

 India, but is not found to the east of the Bay 

 of Bengal, nor in the Punjab. It is somewhat local, 

 but occurs in suitable localities from the foot of the 

 Himalayas to the extreme south of the continent, 

 and is very partial to well-watered forests. Its 

 proper habitat in Mysore and Malabar is the lighter 



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