568 MR, R. I. POCOCK ON A 



the beam, obvious both in profile and front view, is absent in the 

 known antlers of C. toallichii. 



In the J. A. S. Bengal, xix. p. 466, pi., 1851, Hodgson figured 

 and described another pair of antlers sent to him by Dr. Campbell 

 from Ding-cham, north of Sikhim, These he referred to 

 C. afftnis; but they only serve to illustrate the variability to 

 which the antlers are liable. 



Subsequently (J. A. S. Bengal, xx. pp. 388-394, pi. vii., 1851) 

 Hodgson redescribed the species " from abundant supplies of the 



spoils [also sent by Dr. Campbell] exhibiting both sexes 



in various states of maturity the skulls and leg-bones 



being attached to the majority of the specimens." He thus had 

 at his disposal what he described as " unusually copious and 

 adequate material." This is an important point to remember. 



The description of the antlers given in this paper agrees 

 tolerably closely with that which he published in 1841. Certain 

 individual variations are pointed out, and it is stated that the 

 basal interval between the brow and bez tines varies from two to 

 over four inches, two being the usual distance. 



After remarking that the specimens were in winter coat, 

 having been killed in February, Hodgson described the colour as 

 " earthy brown, more or less lutescent, the head and neck being 

 concolorous with the back; but the flanks are conspicuously 



paled, and the belly as conspicuously darkened the neck, 



though paler below than above, is not very noticeably so. But 

 the paling of the flanks is as decidedly so as the nigrescence of 

 the belly ; the white and black forming a conspicuous contrast 



on these parts The limbs are paler than the back, darker 



than the flanks and they have an earthy-brown list down their 

 external and anterior aspect." 



Finally he said, " The tail is very short, and the caudal disc 

 remarkahly small but conspicuous from strong contrast of colours." 

 In another place he also spoke of " the small caudal disc" adding 

 " The little tail is white, like its disc, a dark mesial line dividing 

 the latter along the culmenal (sic) line of the tail."* 



This description of the small caudal disk with its median 

 dividing dark line extending on to the tail applies tolerably 

 accurately to the caudal disk of C. hanglu; and if Hodgson's 

 published figure, bad though it be, of C. afflnis be compared with 

 those of the former species published by Mr. Lydekker and 

 Dr. P. L. Sclater, it will be seen that the principal differences 

 between the two species lie in the form of the antlers and the 

 rather lai-ger caudal disk with narrower median line in C. affinis. 

 Taking Hodgson's desci-iption as a whole, however, it amply 

 justifies and explains Blanford's statement (Mamm. Brit. India, 

 p. 537) that the coloration of the two species is the same, and 

 equally discredits Mr. Lydekker's assertion that "as regai'ds 



* The italics in this paragraph ai'e mine, — R. I, P. 



