18G1.] DR. J. E. GRAY ON A CHINESE STAG. 2.37 



the Sooloo Islands, near the Philippines, as the habitat of this speci- 

 men, but I do not know on what authority. 



The Chinese animal seems also to be much more spotted in the 

 winter season than its Japanese ally {Rusa japonica), which nearly 

 lost its spots in the Zoological Gardens during the winter of last year. 



The old male is furnished with a kind of mane — that is to say, 

 the hair of the neck is longer and more rigid than that of the rest 

 of the body, except just over the tail, where it is also elongated and 

 rigid. The fur of all the three specimens is long and very close, 

 much more so than in its Japanese ally. The male is rather paler 

 in colour and less spotted than either of the hornless specimens ; 

 it has only an indistinct, rather darker line of rather longer hair 

 between the withers, and it has a large blackish space of rigid, rather 

 longer hair over the base of the tail. On the other hand, both the 

 hornless skins have a distinct, well-marked black dorsal streak, which 

 is wider, more distinct, and formed of longer hair on the back of the 

 neck ; and they have only a broad, well-marked black edge on the 

 upper surface and side of the white anal disk. Tlie tail in all the 

 specimens is white, with a black streak along the middle of the upper 

 side of the base. In this respect it also agrees with R. japonica. 



I believe that Dr. Sclater is now satisfied that the identity of my 

 Rusa japonica with Cervus sika is very doubtful. Indeed, I cannot 

 conceive how this can be otherwise, unless the Cervus sika is very 

 badly figured and incorrectly described. We may therefore regard 

 Cervus sika as a distinct species, at least until we can procure some 

 further observations on it. It was figured and described from a 

 single male specimen sent to Leyden. 



The specimens from Northern China sent by Mr. Swinhoe (which 

 I am inclined to think may be Cervus pseudaxis of Eydoux) chiefly 

 differ from Rusa japonica in being of a considerably larger size, the 

 Chinese species being as large as the Fallow Deer, and the Japanese 

 Rusa considerably less — between that animal and the Roebuck. 



I may state that the distinctions of the species of Stags are very 

 difficult to describe by words ; yet the allied Deer from different coun- 

 tries are generally to be best distinguished by their size and habitat • 

 and that may be the case with this and the other small Rusce which 

 are described as coming from Timor, the Philippines, and For- 

 mosa. 



The two skulls which accompanied the skins present a considerable 

 difference in the form and depth of the preorbital pit : and this ob- 

 servation is of some importance, as the size, form, and depth of this 

 pit has been considered by some zoologists as presenting a good spe- 

 cific distinction ; but I have observed a similar difference in skulls 

 of apparently the same species of the genus Cariacus. The skulls 

 are not of the same age ; but I do not think that this can have any 

 effect on the form or depth of the ])it. The skull of the male is of 

 a young animal, the hinder grinder being in the course of develop- 

 ment ; and the horns are simple, without any snags, like the horn 

 figured in 'Arch, du Mus.' vi. t. 24. f. 2, but even wanting the basal 

 snag, and they are covered with hair. In this skull the preorbital 



