38 JOUBKAL, NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY OF SUM. Vol. 1. 



but ^YlliclI is probabl^y Bos sondaicus 



At present, two Cerridae only are known from this district, the 

 Barking Deer (Cervulus muutjac) and the Saniljar {Cervus uidrolor). 

 It is worthy of note that I have not yet found a young Barking Deer 

 with spots, though Blanford states that the .young are spotted. It is 

 more general!}' distributed than tlie fSambar in tliis area and stays on 

 in the drier jungle, which the Sambar forsakes in the hot season ; and 

 I also heard it calling one wet gust}^ night when camped on the 

 waterdied in the height of the monsoon at an elevation of 1000 

 metres. The rutting season is apparently January- February', but 

 is not well defined if the gestatorj^ peiiol of 6 months given by 

 Blanford is correct ; for on the 12th February I obtained a 3'oung 

 Barking Deer less than 2 weeks old, found in its form at an elevation 

 of 440 metres on a hill side and still rather unstead\- on its legs; 

 and also, on the 28th March, mj^ coolie shot a female with well 

 developed foetus, and on the 29th March obtained a female in milk. 



It is reasonable to suppose that the young should be boi'u when 

 there is plenty of tender lierbage, rather than in the hot months when 

 the female would have to travel considerable distance to and from 

 water in the drier areas ; and the fact that some young are dropped 

 in the wet months appears to be recognised by native hunters, fur I 

 well remember in Pachin, in the latter part of September, carefully 

 stalking a native hunter who wa^^ imitating the bleat of a young Bark- 

 ing Deer. 



From this district I have only one skin of a young Sambar 

 about one-third grown, onl this has a few indistinct spots on eitjier 

 Hank. 1 also, on the 1st Januarj", in Lat. 14° 10' N.,saw the skin of a 

 young Sambar pegged out to dry and this also showed indistinct flank 

 spots, the general colour of the '• t-kin " being a soft smoky fawn with 

 a very dark back line. Thus, presumably, the form of Sambar iuuiid 

 iiei'e belongs to the Malayan variet}-, C. uidcolor e(p({/ias. 



Blanford is probably correct in stating that Sambar horns of 

 more than 35 in. long are seldom if ever obtained out of India. The 

 heaviest horn of which 1 have any record measured 30.4 in. The cir- 

 cumference below the brow tine was 8.6 in. and above that tine 7 in. 

 and above the 2nd or bey tine 5 in. This single hoin wa- purchased 

 by an official for 12 ticals, its enhanced value being due to a small 

 swellinii' which the vendor asserted was still growini;- : and the belief is 



