CERVID/E 127 



frequently marked with yellow spots ; iu winter dark slaty 

 grey, with the black-bordered pimp-patch a deeper yellow 

 than in the more typical races, and the shoulders, thighs, and 

 onder-parts nearly black. Antlers large and less complex 

 than those of the latter, the number of tines seldom exceeding 

 8, and often only 6, although occasionally 10 or 12 ; ^ie 

 bez-tine, which may be wanting, frequently much shorter 



FIG. 23. ANTLERS OP EASTERN BED DEER, OR MARAL 

 (Cervus elaphus maral). 



than the brow-tine, which is long and much curved upwards, 

 and the fourth tine generally more distinct from the crown ; 

 maximum antler-length 48J inches. 



Exclusive of the eastern Carpathians, to which this deer 

 may be a recent immigrant, the range extends from the 

 Caucasus through Galicia, the Caspian area, and the Crimea 

 to northern Persia and Asia Minor, and may also include 

 parts of Turkey and Greece. The so-called Polish stag of 

 the Maruioros district of the Hungarian Carpathians is 

 generally believed to be a dwarfed form of the maral which 

 reached that area from Galicia ; possibly the small dark stag 

 from the Galician Carpathians, which has been named 



