536 



THE CLOVEN-HOOFED ANIMALS. 



churia, but it is quite scarce in the barren, treeless 

 table-lands. 



In general one may say that, within its range, the 

 Roe is found alike in young forests and in older 

 ones, provided they abound in underbrush, no mat- 

 ter whether they are situated on mountains or in 

 plains or whether they consist of deciduous or ever- 

 green trees. The Roe seems to delight in the latter, 

 especially in a marshy country. In winter it de- 

 scends from the heights, in summer it mounts higher. 

 In agricultural countries it often rests in the fields 

 of tall grain during the day. 



Characteristics The Roe is nimble and graceful in 



and Habits of its movements. It can cover consid- 

 the Roe. erable distances in its agile bounds, 

 leaping over wide ditches, high hedges and shrubs 

 without any obvious effort, and it is also a good 

 swimmer and an adept at climbing hills and moun- 

 tains. Its senses of hearing, smell and sight are 

 acute, and it is cunning and cautious. While the 

 animal is young it is remarkably amiable, but in old 

 age it is very obstinate, defiant and vicious. 



Roes never form as large troops as do the Red 

 Deer. During the greater part of the year they live 

 in families, consisting of one buck and one, or more 

 rarely of two or three does and their fawns. Dur- 

 ing the day the ROe remains hidden in a quiet, 

 secluded spot of its temporary domicile; towards 

 evening (and in quiet localities in the late after- 

 noon) it goes out to graze in young forests, in 

 glades or in fields; towards morning it betakes itself 

 back to the thicket or into high grain, and beats 

 away the moss or sod with its fore-paws, thus 

 preparing itself a lair for resting. It usually perti- 

 naciously frequents the neighborhood in which it 

 has once established its, domicile, but not invariably. 

 Its food is nearly the same as that of the Stag; only 

 the Roe selects more of the tenderer plants, being 

 more fastidious. 



Only a single fawn is, as a rule, born to a young 

 doe; old ones give birth to two, or in rare cases even 

 to three. The mother conceals her offspring from 

 an approaching enemy with great care, and at the 

 slightest premonition of danger she gives signals 

 of alarm. During the first days of life, when the 

 fawns are yet too weak and awkward to run, the 

 mother resorts to dissimulation and tries to decoy 

 the enemy away from the vicinity of the little ones. 

 If a fawn be taken away from her, and she can not 

 rescue it, she follows the robber, whether Man or 

 beast, for a long time and expresses her distress by 

 constantly running to and fro and bleating. About 

 eight days after their birth, the fawns accompany 

 the doe when she is grazing, and after ten or twelve 

 days they are strong enough to run after her. Then 

 she returns with them to her old quarters, with the 

 intention, as it were, of introducing the offspring to 

 their father. 

 Hunting the Roe, The Roe is hunted in nearly the 



and the Profit same manner as are other Deer, 

 Therefrom. though shotguns are now used 

 more extensively than are rifles in districts which 

 are not under the restriction of game laws. The 

 Roe is also pursued by Lynxes, Wolves, Wild Cats 

 and Foxes, the first preying upon large and small 

 alike, the last chiefly selecting the fawns; the very 

 young fawns are said also to fall victims to the 

 diminutive but bloodthirsty Weasel. 



The profit that accrues to Man from the Roe is 

 inconsiderable; the harm it does is not slight, and 

 outweighs the profit. It works sad destruction in 



young forests especially, and sometimes destroys the 

 painstaking labor of years in a few days. 

 The Roe Difficult The Roe is more difficult to keep 

 to Keep Cap- than other Deer, either in parks, in 

 tiue. zoological gardens or in smaller in- 



cisures, for its liberty-loving mind rebels at all 

 restriction. It proves to be a very fastidious, capri- 

 cious creature, difficult to satisfy; it is frail and weak, 

 does not always breed in a cage and often dies in 

 consequence of some insignificant cause. If reared 

 from early youth, it is readily tamed, is on friendly 

 terms with Man and beast, acts like a true domestic 

 animal and affords one great pleasure. In the long 

 run, however, the doe alone is satisfactory; the 

 buck ends by exhibiting his true nature; he becomes 

 bold and importunate, while the doe as a rule re- 

 tains her gentle disposition. 



THE MUNTJAK DEER. 



In conclusion, we will cast a glance at the genus of 

 the Muntjak Deer ( Cervulus), which are character- 

 ized by their small size, their short, imperfect antlers, 

 their strikingly large canine teeth, their deep, wide 

 tear-pits and lack of a hair-tuft on the hinder ankles. 

 The species ranged in this group are natives of the 

 southern and southeastern parts of Asia, up to south 

 China, and of the adjacent islands. 

 Description of the The Muntjak or Kidang, sometimes 

 Muntjak or called "Wrinkle-face" by English- 

 Kidang. men {Qervulus mtt?itjac), is the best 

 known form; it is somewhat smaller than a Roe, 

 being from forty-six to forty-nine and one-half 

 inches in length, from six to seven inches of which 

 are included in the tail; the height at the shoulders 

 ranges between twenty-six and twenty-eight inches. 

 The hair is short, smooth and close, the color on the 

 upper surface being a warm, yellowish brown, some- 

 times deepening into maroon; the hinder part of the 

 abdomen and the inner surfaces of the limbs, the 

 back part of the cheeks and the lower part of the 

 tail, are white; the fore part of the abdomen and the 

 chest are more yellowish. The horns are set on very 

 high basal protuberances, are directed obliquely 

 backward, and bend at first slightly outward and for- 

 ward, then curve boldly backward and inward. The 

 basal prominences, which are from three to four 

 inches in length, are very peculiar; they are covered 

 with a hairy skin up to the "burr," as the bulbous 

 protuberance at the beginning of the horn proper is 

 called; the margin near the burr is decorated with 

 tufted hair, and the burr is composed of a single row 

 of large " pearls" or button-like excrescences. The 

 female has hair-tufts in the place of horns. 



The Range and The Muntjak is a native of Sumatra, 

 Habits of the Java, Borneo, Banca and Hainan, as 

 Muntjak. yjc\\ as of the Malayan peninsula, 

 Burmah and British India. A country that is not 

 too high and shows alternating hills and dales, or 

 still better, which lies at the foot of high mountains 

 or near extensive forests, seems to unite all the con- 

 ditions that are essential to the wellbeing of this 

 Deer. It is found singly or in pairs. Spots which 

 moreover have an abundance of water and are un- 

 frequented by Man, form the choicest abode for the 

 Muntjak. With its head held low, it slips through 

 matted thickets and among broken trees like a 

 Weasel, and nimbly threads its path through the 

 smallest gaps. Day and night it utters its sharp 

 cry, a hoarse, sharp, resounding bark, which has 

 caused it to be known in some places as "the 

 "Barking Deer." The Muntjak is a very courageous 



