Siha-Deer of Xorth China. 121 



that lies west of the Fen Ho. Even here it occurs only in a 

 few isolated districts, namely : — 



1. The forest to tiie south of Xing-wu Fu, west of Tsing- 

 lo Hsien and north of Ko-lan Chou, where Heude's specimen 

 was doubtless secured. 



'2. hi the forested area 00 miles west of Tai-yuan Fu, 

 known as tiie Chiao-ch^ens: Slian. 



3. In tiie forested area 100 miles south-west of Fen-chou 

 Fu, known as the Ning-hsiang Hsien mountains. 



Formerlv its ran^je extended throughout tlie whole of the 

 mountainous area of West Shansi, as well as in the moun- 

 tains that extend in a north and south line between Sliansi 

 and Ciiihli; but it has been almost exterminated by native 

 hunters for the sake of its horns, which are highly valued 

 as medicine. Only a few isolated herds occur in the districts 

 above mentioned, where they keep to the densest parts of the 

 forest. Even so, they are bein:^ steadily exterminated. 



Tiiis sika ruts in November and December, sheds its horns 

 about March, the new growth commencing about tiie end of 

 July. It is during August and September that this species 

 is most sedulously hunted by the natives, for then the horns 

 are c-nsidered to be in their prime. 



Following is a diagnosis of the sika occurring in the 

 Chihli forests : — 



Cervus mandarbius, Milne-Edwards. 



Cerctis mandarinui Milne-Edwards, ' Eecherches pour servir a IHis- 

 toLre Xaturelle de Mauimiferes," vol. i. (text), pp. 184-186, vol. ii. 

 pis. xiii. et xxii.A. 



This sika diflFers from C. mantdinriciis, Sw., in having the 

 white spots larger and fewer in number, in being generally 

 lighter in colour, with less white on tiie croup di.-«k, and in 

 having the parts below the belly the same colour as the 

 flanks, instead of white. The differences in the winter pelage 

 are not so marked. 



Milne-Edwards states that the spots in C. mantel luri ens in 

 the "winter pelage are so invisible as not to have been given 

 in Sclater's figures. (In this it resembles the Shansi stag.) 



In C. matulan'nv.s, in spite of the general darkening of 

 tliH pelage, liie spots remain plaiidy visible. 



In a letter published in the P. Z. S. 18G5, Xo. 1, p. 142, 

 Swinhoe retains the name mantchiiricus for the Manchurian 

 sika, having examined a living specimen at New-chwang in 

 South Manchuria. He makes the statement that he suspects 

 it lo be the same as the deer, skins of which lie secured in 

 the Summer Palace, and wliicii Blyth called manichuricus 



Ann. (i- Mag. X. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. ii. 9 



