60 



A Tl'RA L HISTOR Y. 



SCHOMBVRGK 8 DEER. 



feet in height. Its colour is a rich light yellow. As its name signifies it delights in moist situations, 

 where it congregates in herds of great numbers. Its antlers are large, and of the intermediate 

 rucervine type. The brow-tynes reach a foot in length, and are directed forwards with an upward 

 turn at their tips. The beam is long, and branches into an anterior, massive, and branched continu- 

 ation of itself, as well as a posterior smaller bifurcate tyne. 



In Siam this species is replaced by the closely-allied SCHOMBURGK'S DEER, a little-known species, 

 in which the antlers are extremely elegant, the long brow-tyne being followed by a short beam which 

 bifurcates into two equal branches, these again, each of them, bifurcating in a similar manner. 



ELD'S DEER, OR THE THAMYN.* This Deer, which differs from the Swamp Deer only in 

 its antlers, was discovered by Captain Eld, in 1838. It abounds in the swamp lands of Burmah, 

 and extends as far east as the Island of Hainan. Its form is slimmer than that of the Red Deer, 

 at the same time that it is somewhat smaller, attaining a height of over four feet. During the summer 

 months its body-colour is a light rufous brown, with a few faint indications of white spots. Its under 

 parts are nearly white, as are the insides of the hairy ears. Its tail is short, and black above. In 

 winter its lengthy hair takes on a darker tint. 



Lieutenant R. C. Beavan has given an excellent account of the habits of Eld's Deer, from which 

 we learn that their food must consist almost entirely of grass and paddy, which grow both cultivated 

 and wild, in the swamps in which they dwell. " In habits they are very wary and difficult of 

 approach, especially the males. They are also very timid, and easily startled ; the males, however, 

 when wounded and brought to bay with Dogs, get very savage and charge vigorously. On being 

 disturbed they invariably make for the open, instead of resorting to the heavy jungle like Hog Deer 

 and Sambur. In fact the Thamyn is essentially a plain-loving species ; and, although it will fre- 

 quent tolerably open tree-jungle for the sake of its shade, it will never venture into dense or matted 



* Rucerw.s Eldi. 



