38 ME. R. LYDEKKER ON THE [Jan. 19, 



which is sUghtly less prolonged upwards. Metatarsal tuft whitish. 

 Tail moderate. Neck inaned. lu siuimier spotted ; in winter 

 uniform brown. Black bands on each side of the pure white anal 

 disk form a cross with the narrow black streak along the dorsum 

 of the tail. Stature medinm. Young indistinctly spotted." 



This diagnosis, which has been copied by the \\ riters of all sub- 

 quent text-books (who of course cannot be expected to verify the 

 statements of those specialists from wiiom they derive their infor- 

 mation), is incorrect in respect to the uniform colour of the coat in 

 winter being common to all the species. Prof. A. Milne-Edwards 

 had previously stated that iu C. mandarinus (regarded by Brooke 

 as a synonym of 0. mancliuricus) the spotting is permanent ; and 

 this had also been indicated by Gray in his description of the deer 

 which was subsequently named C. hortulorum. The Woburn 

 specimens show decisively that the latter species is always spottecL 



In the aforesaid paper Sir V. Brooke provisionally admitted 

 seven species of the Sicine group, although he suggested that 

 four of them — namely, G. euopis, C. manchurieus, 0. di/hoiunkii, 

 and C. l-opschi — would very probably turn out to be synonyms of 

 C. sica, with which, as already stated, G. mandarinus was wrongly 

 identified. With regard to C. caspicHs\ from the mountains 

 south-west of the Caspian, which was founded on antlers in the 

 collection of Brooke himself, it is practically certain that this 

 form does not belong to the Sicine group at all, of which 

 the range will consequently be confined to North-eastern Asia. 

 Unfortunately, the type antlers are not to be found among Brooke's 

 collection, which has now been presented to the British Museum ; 

 but I would suggest that they not improbably belonged to some 

 member of the Elaphine group in the second year of growth. 

 Mr. Thomas informs me that a gentleman well acquainted with 

 the district where these antlers were reported to have been 

 obtained is confident no deer of a Sicine type exists there. 

 C. casjncus must therefore be consigned to oblivion. 



Next with regard to the true Gervus pseudaxis of Eydous and 

 Souleyet '\ I can only follow Sir Y. Brooke, who observes that he 

 has hesitated to identify this with " any species of the subgenus. 

 The specimen is still preserved in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle 

 at Paris ; but though I have often carefully examined it, the absence 

 of the skull, and the great uncertainty of the locality where it 

 was procured, render it impossible to form a decided opinion " ■'. 

 Mr. Sclater ■■ has suggested that it really belongs to G. taemnus, in 

 which case that name would have to be superseded ; pseudaxis being 

 the earliest of all. 



As the result of my examination of the Woburn collection, I 

 conclude that apparently four distinct species of the group can be 



1 Brooke, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 42 ; 1878, p. 909. 

 ^ ' Voyage de LaBoiiiic' Zoology, vol. i. p. fi4 (1841-.52). 

 ^ Iu his description of C. iitanchuricus, Brooke states that the type is in the 

 Paris Museum ; but this relcrs to the true C. pseudaxis. 

 *■ Traus. Zool. Soc. vol. vii. p. 345. 



