r)74 MR. R. SWINHOE ON CHINESE DEER. [Julie 17' 



(Hvvnychow) mountains, who had brought me a fine Tiger's skull, 

 had also the budding velvet of an apparently small-antlered Deer — 

 also that Pere Heude had told me that men from the Fokien province 

 came yearly to the mountains that formed the border between 

 Ganhwuy and Chekiang to hunt Stags for their velvet, which is 

 greatly valued for its medical properties, and that English sports- 

 men at Chinkiaug had reported having occasionally seen Deer with 

 antlers, though none had ever been procured. With this informa- 

 tion on my mind, I did not cease to make inquiries, and was greatly 

 delighted to learn from my correspondent, Mr. H. Kopsch, the Cus- 

 toms Commissioner at Kiukiaug, up the Yangtse river, that now 

 and then dead antlered Deer were brought into the market of that 

 place for sale during the winter. I begged Mr. Kopsch to be on 

 the look-out this winter, as, being at Shanghai myself, a fresh spe- 

 cimen despatched from Kiukiang would reach me fresh, and enable 

 me to examine and describe it ; and I promised Mr. Kopsch that, 

 if new, I would dedicate it to him. On the 2 7th of February I 

 received the animal which I will proceed to describe, with the follow- 

 ing note: — "The vendor of the Deer told me it came from the 

 department of Kienchang, on the eastern side of this province 

 (Kiangse), bordering on Fokien. They have antlers ; but the one 



1 send has either dropped his or they have not come yet. The 

 man said they are hard to get ; men from Fokien hunt them for 

 their horns." The venison was large and fine, and greatly superior 

 to the flesh of Hydropotes, the ordinary venison of Shanghai. 



Cervus kopschi, sp. nov. 



This noble beast measured 4 feet 4 inches from its muzzle to the 

 root of its tail, and stood about 2 feet 10 inches high at the 

 shoulders. Its horns were only in bud ; but their pedicles, about 



2 inches long and slender, showed that the animal was only in its 

 second year. I doubt whether the horns would ever be very robust ; 

 but the mature animal would no doubt attain a larger size. Head 

 small, with very small eye and long ears ; neck narrow and long ; 

 legs long and thick. Hair on neck rather coarse, on abdomen long 

 and curly. The glandular tarsal spot about lj inch in diameter, of 

 a circular form, grizzled black and white, with a bordering circle of 

 buff colour, and situated about 5 inches below the hock. Eyelashes 

 short and black ; long black bristles from above the eyes, and shorter 

 ones from below ; black spots on the sides of the snout, each giving 

 rise to a bristle; bristles also on the chin. A dorsal line runs down 

 the back, starting from between the ears, chestnut-coloured down 

 the hind neck, becomes deep umber-brown between the shoulders, 

 pales along the back, and deepens again on the rump. The upper 

 surface of the tail is black, the colour extending on each side on to 

 the long hairs at the edge of the rump, so as to form a T mark. 

 Upper parts of the body brown, mottled with light yellowish brown ; 

 a row of indistinct white spots along each border of the dorsal line. 

 Humerus, sides of belly, and thighs light purplish brown to knee- 

 and hock-joints, grizzled with yellowish as far as feet, where clear 



