1867.] MR. E. BLYTH ON THREE ASIATIC DEER. 835 



4. Notes upon Three Asiatic Species of Deer. 

 By Edward Blyth. 



Upon a former occasion I exhibited at a Meeting of this Society 

 (see P. Z. S. 1863, p. 1.55) some loose horns of a species of Deer be- 

 lieved to inhabit Siam, which I named in honour of my late friend 

 Sir Robert H. Schoniburgk, who at that time filled the position of 

 H.B.M. Consul at Bangkok. When that accomplished naturalist 

 returned from Siam he brought a miscellaneous collection of objects 

 of natural history from that country, many of which were disposed 

 of by auction after his decease. It contained two splendid pairs of 

 horns of Rucervus schomhurgki, and one very fine pair of horns of 

 the Siamese variety or distinct race of Panolia eldi, which has been 

 designated P. platyceros by Dr. Gray, as distinguished from his P. 

 acuticoniis. Those three pairs of horns were purchased for the 

 British Museum, and I have there had photographs taken of them, 

 which, with some other photographs and drawings illustrative of the 

 different forms of Rucervus, Hodgson, and Panolia, Gray, I here- 

 with submit for publication in the Society's 'Proceedings'*. 



Figs. 1, 2, 3 represent three ]iairs of horns of the Indian R. du- 

 vaucelli, the lowermost being those of an aged buck with extra- 

 ordinarily developed "crown," in the museum of the Asiatic Society, 

 Calcutta. Fig. 4 represents the finest pair of horns of this species 

 that I have seen, and which I sketched many years ago when in tlie 

 possession of the late Frank Russell, Esq., of the Bengal Civil Service. 

 Fig. 5 represents a pair in which the near aflSnity of Rucervus to 

 Panolia is at once recognized. 



Figs. 6 to 12 (inclusive) represent the horns of R. schomburgld, 

 fig. 6 being the only pair of the series which is still attached to the 

 frontlet. This pair and that represented in two asjjccts of view by 

 figs. 7 and 8 are the two pairs which belonged to Schomburgk, and 

 I regard the last referred to as a genuine pair, although detached 

 from the frontal bones. Figs. 1 and 111 consider to represent 

 odd horns matched, as also figs. 9 and 12. These three fine pairs, 

 or rather series of six odd horns, were rescued from the stock 

 of a cutler in Sheffield, who said that he had converted many like 

 them into knife-handles. Both figs. 6 and 11, it will be remarked, 

 have forked brow-antlers ; and the near resemblance of several of 

 these beautiful horns to the largest of the three which I formerly 

 figured and restored conjecturally when first bringing the species to 

 notice, will not fail to excite attention. The characteristic style of 

 ramification is prominently observable. With regard to the animal, 

 I have not been able to learn anything whatever, excepting that I 

 have been assured that a living buck of the species is at this time 

 living in the Jardin des Plantes at Paris. 



Figs. 13 to 16 (inclusive) represent four specimens of P. eldi 



* Thi'ce additional line pairs of horns of R. sckomb»rf/i-i have been subse- 

 quently received, and are now in the national collection. These I have also had 

 photographed, as the pair with branching brow-antlers (fig. 11). 



