THE AXIS *. 



r 



; HIS animal being known only under the 

 vague names of Sardinian hind and Stag 

 of the Ganges, we have preferved the appellation 

 given to it by Belonf, which he borrowed from 



Pliny, 



* Deer with flender trifurcated horns ; the fir ft branch 

 near the bafc, and the fecond near the top, each pointing' 

 upwards. It is of the fi/e of the fallow deer, of a light gray 

 colour, and the body is beautifully marked with white fpots. 

 Along the lower part of the fides next the belly, is a line' of 

 te. The tail, which is as long as that of a fallow deer, 

 is red above, and white beneath; Pennant's Synopf. of quad, 



t ' 5 l ' 



Axis; Plinii lib. S. cap. 21. Belon. Qbf. p. 119. Rail Synq 



'. p. 88. 

 Speckled deer; Nieuhoff. voy. p. 262. 



Biche de Sardaigne ; Mem. pour fervir a Phift. des animaux, 



'. 2. p. 73. tab. 45. 

 •j- " In the court of this caflle, there were a male and a 

 female oi: a Kind of flag or fallow deer, which we fhoulu never 

 have recognifed, if we had not fufpected that it was the axis 

 mentioned by Pliny, [lib. 8. cap. 21.) in the following Words; 

 In India .... et feram nomine A<hn, 'binnuli p'elle y pluribus candi- 

 es, facratn Libero Patri. Both of them wanted 

 ns, and, The the fallow deer, had a long tail that han? as 

 low as the hocks, by which we knew that they were not (lags; 

 and in fact, at firft fight, we thought they were fallow deer. 

 But, upon a clofer examination, we rejected this opinion. 

 The female is fraaller than the male; and their fkin was va- 

 riegated with round, white fpots. The ground colour of | 

 bock. wifh, and white on the belly. In this article 



the} from the, fcamelopard; fcr the ground colour of the 



camelopard is white, and the fpots are reddifh. Their voice 



h 



