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NOTES ON THE HOG DEER IN BURMA. 



By Veterinary Captain George H. Evans, A.V.D. 



{Read before the Bombay Natural History Society on 18th Feb., 1902.) 



( With 2 Plates.) 



CERVUS PORCINUS. 



Burmese names. — Dayai or Darai. 



Hog deer are plentiful in many parts of Lower Burma, particularly 



so on the orassy plains and grass-covered islands in the delta ; they are 



also met with in suitable localities in Upper Burma, and are numerous 



on the Pedaiug Plain, Myitkyina District, where, I understand, many 



may be seen out grazing in the early mornings and evenings. 



They are confined to the plains, never, as far as I am aware, being 

 found in the hills, or in heavy jungles, though they will frequent grass 

 land in open jungle. They are often found in the belts of long grass, 

 seen on the banks of some rivers, and many inhabit the stretches of 

 grass and mangrove jungle near the sea. In my experience, wherever 

 Thetkai grass {Imperata cylindrica) abounds, they show a preference 

 for it possibly because not being so dense as the Kaing {Saccharum 

 spontaneum\ it is cooler ; but where grounds are much disturbed, they 

 take shelter in the heaviest elephant grass cover available. Though 

 many deer of both sexes may live in a particular stretch of grass 

 country, they never, as far as I know, collect in herds, but are generally 

 found solitary, though at times two or three may be put up not far 

 apart, or may even be seen grazing together. 



As a rule, they graze from about 5 p.m. till 7 a.m., though in secluded 

 and undisturbed localities they may begin to feed earlier, and leave off 

 later. I have never found them grazing far from cover, apparently 

 preferring to keep to the small hidden glades or kwins, and the 

 depressions or yos, sometimes met with between patches of long grass. 

 The deer without doubt graze on the large kwins (plains) during the 

 night, as their tracks may frequently be seen in such places in the 

 early morning. Their food consists chiefly of grasses, such as Myet-za 

 {Cynodon dactylon), the tender shoots of the Kaing, which springs up 

 soon after it is fired, Doung Sa-ba, Nat Sa-ba or wild rice [Oryza 

 coartata) and others. I have frequently found them grazing on a 

 leguminous plant, the Nyan Bin {Desmodium reptans) which grows 



