95 



THE BURMESE GOAT-ANTELOPE, OR. SEROW. 



Nemorhmdus sumatrensis. 



By Veterinary-Captain G. H. Evans. 



(With a Plate.) 



(Read before the Bombay Natural History Society , on 18th March, 1897.) 



Burmese Names : Taw-Seik [Jungle Groat], Taw-Myin [Jungle Horse], 

 Kaba-Gya [Precipice Tiger]. 



From the above names it will probably be inferred that the goat- 

 antelope is at least a strange looking animal, to have conveyed 

 impressions that it resembled a goat, a horse, and a tiger ! I fancy 

 the latter name was given by some one who was overcome by the 

 somewhat ferocious appearance of the creature, or, perhaps, from a 

 more intimate acquaintance. The head and horns no doubt led to its 

 being described as a goat, and the presence of a mane to its being 

 likened to a horse. Be this as it may, it will, I think, be admitted by 

 those who have seen this animal, that there is some excuse for those 

 who applied the names ; for the li taw-seik " is without doubt an ugly 

 nondescript beast. 



They are generally distributed over nearly all the hill ranges of the 

 province, and are also found in the Ohin Hills and Shan States, and 

 it is probable that they extend into the Lushai country, parts of 

 Manipur, Yunnan and Siam. They may be met with at elevations 

 varying from 700 feet in the smaller hills, to seven or eight thousand 

 feet in the Chin and other mountain chains. They are more or 

 less solitary and are nowhere numerous, though at times a few may 

 be discovered living on the same hill. As a rule they inhabit dreadful 

 ground, their favourite haunts being the most craggy hill sides, or 

 rugged forest-clad ground, where during the day they rest in caves, 

 or under the eaves of over-hanging rocks ; they may also lie up under 

 the shade of a large tree, but more frequently prefer to retire to the 

 very dense cover often found in sheltered ravines. They are very shy, 

 and this, coupled with the precipitous ground they hide in, renders 

 approach to them a matter of some difficulty. The early hours of the 

 morning and late in the evening are their feeding times, and they are 



