76 



THE TWO-TOED ARTIODACTYLA. 



into the abomasum, in which is secreted the 

 acid gastric juice by which the work of 

 digestion is performed. In young ruminants 

 still sucking, the paunch and reticulum are 

 only slightly developed; these organs attain 

 their full size only as the animals pass over to 

 a purely vegetable diet. There are numerous 

 variations in the structure of these different 

 parts of the stomach, but the most remarkable 

 is that seen in the chevrotains (Tragulida), ' 

 in which the psalterium is altogether absent, 

 which brings about a close resemblance 

 between their stomach and that of the 

 peccaries. The teats are situated in the 

 region of the groin. The young come into 

 the world in a very advanced state, and 

 are able to follow their mothers a few hours 

 after birth. They are not numerous; one, 

 or at most two, at a birth is the rule in the 

 ruminants. 



THE CHEVROTAIN FAMILY 



(TRAGULIDA). 



This family stands nearest to that of the 

 pigs, and especially, as just stated, to the 

 peccaries, in virtue of the structure of the 

 stomach, which has no psalterium; and also 

 in virtue of the structure of the feet, in which 

 the metacarpal and metatarsal bones are not 

 yet completely fused; the structure of the 

 brain, which is very simple, has few con- 

 volutions, small cerebral hemispheres, and 

 the cerebellum, often even a part of the mid- 

 brain, uncovered; and lastly, in virtue of the 

 structure of the placenta. 



They are the smallest of the ruminants, 

 for the Kanchil {Tragulus pygmcsus), fig 157, 

 does not exceed the size of a hare, and the 

 Water Chevrotain i^Hycsmoschiis {Hyomoschus) 

 aquaticus), the largest species, is of about the 

 size of a roebuck a few months old. The 

 family is represented only by the genera just 

 mentioned. The true chevrotains, forming 

 the genus Tragulus, in which several species 

 are distinguished, are indigenous in India, the 



Eastern Peninsula, China, Ceylon, and the 

 Sunda Islands; the water chevrotain is con- 

 fined to the west coast of Africa — the 

 Gaboon and Sierra Leone. The head of the 

 Tragulida is finely shaped and pointed in 

 front. In the males two sharp, slender, 

 pointed canines curved downwards and out- 

 wards project beyond the mouth from the 

 upper jaw. The eyes are very large and 

 sparkling, the ears small and but slightly 

 covered with hair, the neck short, the body 

 thick, the back arched, the legs slender and 

 well formed, the tail short and bushy. The 

 fur is short, very thick, usually of a yellowish- 

 brown colour, almost white underneath, and 

 often marked with white stripes and spots on 

 the throat and sides. The lateral digits are 

 well developed, and are carried by complete 

 metacarpal (or metatarsal) bones; the lower 

 incisors are set close together, and the middle 

 pair has the crowns spread out like a spade. 

 The lower canines are absent. The three 

 premolars above and below are simple, with 

 sharp triangular crowns. The three upper 

 molars exhibit double crescents, while on 

 those of the lower jaw there are only single 

 crescents on the edges. There are no 

 horns, and the males have no musk-pouch. 

 These pretty little creatures live singly or in 

 pairs in mountainous regions. They are 

 very agile, leap and climb admirably, run 

 well, but not long at a time; and among the 

 Malays, who have a saying, "as cunning as 

 a kanchil," enjoy a perhaps exaggerated 

 reputation for craftiness. They feign death 

 in order to escape pursuit. They are eagerly 

 hunted for their flesh, and they have often 

 been brought to Europe, where they thrive 

 very well in the zoological gardens; they are 

 graceful, but very shy and timid. 



The Musk-deer i^Moschus moschiferus), fig. 

 158, forms the connecting link between the 

 chevrotains and the true deer. Like the 

 former, it has no horns, has a pretty thick 

 body highly arched behind, large accessory 

 hoofs and strong canines, which in the males 



