RARE STAG FROM NEPAL. 573 



(under 6 inches) ; foot (? hock to heel) 525 mm. (21 inches) ; ear 

 225 mm. (9 inches). The skin is too shrunk to make an estimate 

 of the animal's height of any value. 



The skull and teeth show that the specimen was a full-grown, 

 but not old, hind. Its basal length from the notch between the 

 condyles to the tip of the premaxillse is 13| inches (about 344 mm.); 

 and the length from the anterior edge of the orbit to the tip of 

 the premaxilla about 9 inches ( = 225 mm.), and the width across 

 the orbits 6| inches (=156 mm.). 



On comparing these dimensions with those recorded by Blanford 

 for C. hanglu and G. afflnis, it would appear that this Kansu 

 Stag is somewhere about the size of the former. For example, 

 he quotes the length of the Hangul (probably of males) as from 

 7 to 7 1 feet and the length of a skull of this sex as just 

 over 15 inches. Probably the basal length of the latter would 

 be about 14| inches. 



The smaller of two skulls of C. affinis had a basal length of 16| 

 inches and a width across the orbits of about 7^ inches. Thus, 

 allowing for the fact that the Kansu specimen is an adult female, 

 it may be inferred that the males are about as large as those of 

 C. hanglu and considerably smaller than those of G. affinis. 



The description given above of the colour of this Stag agrees in 

 a general way tolerably closely with that of the examples of 

 G. affinis that Hodgson had in his hands, and it is important to 

 remember the close correspondence in date, Hodgson's specimens 

 having been killed in February and the Kansu specimen in March ; 

 and since deer of the Elaphine group moult in April and May, 

 it is evident that the examples in question were still cairying 

 their winter coats. In their generally dark earthy brown color- 

 ation, both differ markedly from the living example of C. wallichii 

 in March. 



The coloration of the Kansu specimen, however, is not identical 

 with that of G. affinis. I do not think it safe on the evidence of 

 one skin to trust much to the greater uniformity of the colour of 

 the body as shown by the absence of a distinct darkening of the 

 back and "lutescence" of the sides to which Hodgson refers in 

 G. affinis, but the large size of the dark croup-patch and the 

 smaller extent of white at the base of the tail are probably more 

 dependable. It is in both these particulars especially that the 

 Kansu stag resembles the Szechuen stag G. macneilli. Since, 

 however, it differs from the latter in general coloration and in the 

 greater amount of white in the tail ; from G. affinis in having no 

 white above the root of the tail and a larger dark area on the 

 croup ; from G. v^allichii in having no white on the croup at all, 

 except such as is concealed by the overlying black ends to the hairs ; 

 and from G. hanglu in the dark colour of the chin and upper lip, 

 the Kansu stag seems to deserve a name ; and I propose to call 



it C. KANSUENSIS. 



