270 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII. 
Is it not. possible that the two heads from which Mr. Thomas has described 
R. thamin brucei are adult but not very old specimens of the type species ? 
This would explain the small development of the supra-orbital ridge. Also the 
locality whence the two specimens were obtained is not “ a considerable distance ”” 
from other thamin. There are plenty of thamin in the Lower Chindwin, 
Sagaing and Shwebo, within 50 miles ofthe Thimbaung-gwin Plains, and thence 
Southwards, wherever there is suitable ground, right away to Pegu. 
T think Mr. Thomas should give us a little more evidence before adding an 
other to the numerous sub-species which already exist to the confusion of the 
field naturalist. 
2. Siamese Thamin. 
In the course of a journey in Siam last year (1920), I passed down the Meping 
River from Raheng to Paknampo by boat and thence to Bangkok by rail ; re- 
turning by the same route as far as Hkambengpet, where I left the river and 
struck across country to recross the Burma border at one of the sources of the 
Thaungyin River. 
There are still a few thamin about 10 miles E. of Raheng, and further down 
the Meping they seem to have been plentiful on the left bank below Hkam- 
bengpet up to two or three years ago, but have now been much reduced by natives 
hunting for the Chinese horn trade, and are only to be found 25 miles or more 
from the river. According to native report they are still plentiful 30 miles East 
of Klong Klung. 
I examined three heads at Raheng, three at Hkambengpet, and two recently 
killed near Klong Klung. ‘The first six had no traces of palmation. Of the last 
two, one, which I purchased and which is still in my possession, is heavily pal- 
mated : the other showed distinct flattening of the beam. The palmated head 
is the larger of the two and measures 313 inches along the beam. At Paknampo 
T saw three heads ; one inthe Bombay Burma Coy’s bungalow was well palmated, 
while the other two were in shops in the bazaar and had no signs of palmation. 
In Bangkok, of twenty heads I saw only eight were palmated, while five others 
showed slight flattening in the terminal third of the beam. Basal snags were 
wanting in some cases, and in no case numerous or large. 
On my return to India I wrote to Mr. P. R. Kemp, head of the Survey Depart- 
ment of Siam and a keen shikari and naturalist, to ask him for observations on 
heads in Bangkok with particular regard to the sub-terminal tine and the ques- 
tion of palmation. I quote from his reply. ‘. .. . I have been struck by the 
lack of a sub-terminal tine of any length in the specimens that come from Eastern 
Siam, Korat and Ubon provinces. In many there is no tine at all to speak of and 
the end of the horn carries a series of snags for some 7 or 8 inches, with perhaps 
one snag of considerablygreater length than the others. There is a certain amount 
of flattening in addition though it hardly amounts to what I would call palma- 
tion. Isaw no basal snags at the junction of beam and brow tine, Some heads 
from Paknampo, probably brought down from Raheng district—carried a more 
distinct subterminal tine in addition to snags and appeared—as heads—to ave- 
rage a larger size than the Eastern heads... .. Most thamin heads in Bangkok 
come from the Eastern provinces. I have not however examined sufficient 
number to quote proportions, etc., but those I have looked at certainly have 
nothing like the sub-terminal tine development that illustrations show in the 
pukka ‘ Cervus eldi’ of Burma.” ‘ 
Mr. Kemp’s observations agree exactly with my own. I think it more than 
probable that the thamin heads bought in Bangkok are more often than not 
selected to be sent home on account of their being palmated, and that palmation 
should not be laid down as a horn characteristic of the thamin of Siam. 
The best pair of horns I could hear of from Siam measured 344 inches, and there 
seems no doubt that they do not run nearly as big as the Burma heads, The 
average of good heads is not more than 31 inches in Siam. 
