NOTES ON THE THAMIN OR BROW-ANTLERED DEER. 331 



THAMIN.— -General Description of the Colour. —This varies 

 a great deal according to the age of the animal. Some sports- 

 men are of opinion that two kinds of Thamin exist, but up to the 

 present I must say that I have failed to observe anything in the 

 anatomy or habits of the dark and light-coloured Thamin to incline 

 me to such a conclusion. Any difference there may be as regards 

 colour is, in my opinion, due to age, season of year, and perhaps to 

 some small extent to the locality in which they may be found. I 

 should describe the colour of mature stags to be a dark russet-brown, 

 which, when seen at some little distance off, conveys an impression that 

 they are blackish. The coat is long, fairly thick, shaggy, especially 

 down the course of the spine, and also about the neck. During the 

 " rutting time," the hair in this region is from 4| to 5 inches in 

 length. The hair is coarse, rather easily removed, and is of a dark 

 brown colour. Young stags vary much in colour ; up to about the 

 age of two years they are very like the hinds, requiring the aid of 

 glasses to make out their " knobs ;" but as they grow older the sides 

 become darker in colour, and continue to deepen every year till the 

 animal arrives at maturity. I have not yet seen a light-coloured stag 

 carrying what would be termed a really good head. The hair sur- 

 rounding the eyes, and infra-orbital sinuses, is of a darkish dun colour ; 

 that under the jaws is coarse, long and thick, shading off to a dirty 

 white round the lower lip. The hair within the ears is also a dirty 

 white, while that which covers the external meatus is long, and the 

 colour at the base of the ears is lighter than the general colour of the 

 body. The hair on the inside of the forearms and thighs, as also that 

 on the under and posterior part of the abdomen, is a dirty white, and 

 when washed with soap and water it is seen to be quite white. On 

 the sternum the colour is generally dark, which, I think, is due to mud 

 and dirt ; but of course the underpart of the tail and dock are quite 

 white. 



The hinds are of a glossy brightish-chestnut, the underparts being 

 light-coloured, and the hair is finer and much cleaner than is the case 

 with the stags. The calves are pretty little creatures and are usually 

 spotted (white). 



Heads.— These vary immensely in shape, size, spread, number 

 of points, etc., but they all possess the remarkable development of the 



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