42 M«. R. LYDEKKER ON THE [Jau. 1 9, 



considerably faded) without trace of spots. The faint dappling of 

 the darker race is paralleled by the smaller dark doe at Wobnrn 

 referred to above. 



The story of C. di/botuakii does not, however, nnfortunately by 

 any means end here. In 1880 Mr. W. L. Sclater described the 

 head, with the skin, of a deer purchased in the bazaar at Darjiling, 

 and referred it provisionally to dt/bowsJcii. Subsequently this 

 head — which was remarkable for the white muzzle — was shown by 

 Dr. Blanford ' to belong to a new Elaphine Deer described by 

 him as C. thoroldi. Thinking that Mr. Selater would not have 

 identified a white-muzzled deer with C. dijhowslcii unless he 

 knew that the latter had a similar nose*, I have on two occasions 

 given a white muzzle as the distinctive character of that form. 

 Had I known that the specimen labelled C. manchuricus in the 

 British Museum was one of the " co-types " of dybowskii, I should 

 not have been led into this error. 



Regarding, then, all the forms mentioned above as referable to a 

 single species very variable in point of size, I propose to distinguish 

 the smaller typical race as C. sica typicus, and the larger as C. ska 

 manchuricus. The latter appears to be coniined to the mainland ; 

 and the former is to a great extent a smaller island race, although 

 some small examples occur on the mainland. Mr. Thomas informs 

 me that several other Japanese mammals are represented by a 

 larger race or subspecies in China. 



2. Pelcin Deer. — Cebvus hoktulortjm. (Plate I.) 



Cervus pseudaxis, Gray, P. Z. S. 1861, p. 236, pi. xxvii. {nee 

 Eydoux and Souleyet). 



Cervus Jiortulorum, JSwinhoe, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 169. 



Hub. Northern China. 



The history of this species is somewhat remarkable. In the spring 

 of 1861 the Zoological Society received from the late Mr. R. Swinhoe 

 the skins of three Sicine Deer which had been shot after the 

 taking of the Summer Palace, Pekin (Oct. 12th, 1860), Avhen 

 they would have assuuied the winter pelage. These specimens 

 were shortly after transferred to the British Museum, and one, a 

 buck (No. 61. 6. 2. 1), was described and figured by Dr. Gray in 

 the P. Z. S, for 1861, under the name of Cervus pseudaxis, \vitli 

 the express statement that it was killed in winter. As now 

 mounted it stands 3 ft. 4 in. at the shoulder. The hair is now 

 much laded. In Gray's figure^ the hair of the body is a chestnut- 



' P. Z. S. 1893, p. 444. 



■^ Mr. Scluter, on p. 187 of Lis paper, says that G. dyhowskii is described as 

 ha\iiig a white muzzle. In the original dosc-ription it is stated that "il y a uue 

 tarhe blanche, pure, cordifurui, sur le devant du ineiiton." 



'■' From a comparison with the original specimen, I find that the colouring of 

 the figure is inexact in several parlicidars, the under-parls being too while and 

 the distribution of the colours on the neck very badly shown. 



