Dr. N. Scvertzoff on the Mammals of Turkestan. 381 



Tlie real meaning of all these differences is tliat tlic sepa- 

 rate parts of the horns of C. maral are more developed than in 

 C. elajj/iits^ but that the number of these parts is smaller. At 

 the commencement of the growth of the horns of C. maral 

 there is more bony substance deposited than in C. elaphus^ 

 which up to the time when the animal becomes adult is equally 

 distributed to all the parts of the horns, the deposit increasing 

 with every year ; so that by the time that there are five points 

 on each honi a length of 4^ feet has been attained, and 

 consequently the increase of the branches in number ceases 

 earlier (after the animal is adult) than in C elaphiuH. 



The horns of C. canadensis^ as far as they are known to 

 me from the examination of a few specimens and from descrip- 

 tions, are very similar to those of C, maral^ having only a 

 still less regular crown, and still more widely separated points, 

 and ten to twelve branches. The latter number of points is 

 found in a specimen of C. canadensis in the Academy Museum 

 oi Moscow, whose horns so closely resemble those of C marcd 

 that they can hardly be distinguished. 



The specimens of C. maral collected by me were left at 

 Tashkent ; and I consequently could not compare their skulls 

 with those of C. elaphus and C. canadensis. 



The measurements and descriptions of the animals given 

 here are taken from my notes, those of the horns with their 

 variations from the enormous collection of horns from tlie 

 Zailiskey Alatau, brought to St. Petersburg by orders from 

 General Kaufmann, for the emperor's collection in his hunting- 

 lodge. All these horns, however, are without the skulls, but, 

 according to the preceding observations, are quite sufficient, it 

 seems to me, to prove that C. maral is much nearer to C. cana- 

 doisis than to C. elaphus j and I think it may be stated that 

 C. canadensis and C. maral are one species, which inhabited 

 Northern Asia and America at the time when the two conti- 

 nents were connected by the Aleutian group, which was for- 

 merly a long narrow piece of land. This species may therefore 

 be included in the number of animals which prove that tlie 

 two continents have once been connected, as do Ovis nivi- 

 cohy Ursus arctos^ Tetrao canadensis^ and others, which all 

 inhabit both continents. 



The characters which distinguish C. maral from C. cana- 

 densis miglit have been developed after the separation of the 

 two continents ; the most striking is that C. canailensis does 

 not change colour according to the different seasons, as is 

 done by C. maral. I do not know, however, whether this is 

 constant in all localities, or only to be seen on the western 

 shore of America, where the summers are cold. 



