1899.] MB. R. LYDEKKEB ON THE CHILIAN QUEMAL. 917 



4. Specific Characters of the Chilian Guemal. 

 By R. Lydekker. 



[EeceiTcd August 30, 1899.] 



(Plate LXI.) 



When describing that subgeneric group of American Deer 

 commonly known as Guemals in ' Deer of All Lands,' I bad no 

 mounted specimen of the Chilian species to compare with the one 

 of the Peruvian Guemal in the British Museum ; the latter 

 having suffered considerably from fading. Consequently, I \^as 

 compelled to rely on the descriptions of others ; and now that the 

 Museum (thanks to Dr. H. P. Moreno) has acquired a beautiful 

 male of the Chilian Guemal, I find that there are several inaccuracies 

 in my description. 



In the first place, the Chilian Guemal is a considerably larger 

 animal than the Peruvian species, the shoulder-height in the mounted 

 specimens of these species in the Museum being respectively 39i- 

 and 33-^ inches. Secondly, it is much more uniformly coloured 

 than its northern relative, the greater portion of the under-parts, 

 limbs, and buttocks being of the same tint as the back, instead of 

 very much lighter. The faded condition of the Museum specimen 

 of the Peruvian species does not admit of the original tint of the 

 hair being precisely determined; but it was evidently speckled 

 after the manner of the Chilian form. In the latter, the general 

 colour of the head and upper-parts is bright greyish-yellow speckled 

 with black. A broad black band runs up the middle of the face 

 from the muzzle to terminate in a fork between the eyes ; the 

 sides of the muzzle being brown and the extremity of the chin 

 whitish. The upper surface of the tail is coloured like the back, 

 while the under surface is white ; there is no trace of the bro\\'n 

 patch on the rump and the brown upper surface of the root of the 

 tail characteristic of the Peruvian species. The under-parts and 

 limbs, with the exception of the inguinal region, the front and 

 upper part of the inner surface of the thighs, and a streak on the 

 postero-internal surface of the fore legs (which are greyish \^ hite), 

 are also coloured like the back ; thus presenting a very striking 

 difference from the Peruvian animal, in which they are very much 

 lighter. The tarsal tuft, too, instead of being dark umber-bro\\n 

 on a whitish ground, is likewise of the same speckled hue as the 

 upper-parts. 



In regard to the antlers, they are distinguished from those of the 

 Chihan species by the forking taking place at a considerably greater 

 distance above the burr, so that between the latter and the upper 

 surface of the fork there is an interval of nearly two inches instead 

 of less than an inch. 



The antlers of the specimen figured in the drawing (Plate LXI.), 

 which came from Patagonia, are comparatively thin and smooth. In 

 a head from Ultima Esperanza, Patagonia, recently acquired by the 



