ORDER RUMINANTIA. 169 



appear to be added from Hernandez, unless that acute 

 zoologist, in opposition to his own doubts, admits the 

 soundness of the author's supposition*. Now the text 

 of Hernandez appears clearly and distinctly to apply to one 

 of this group, and most likely to A. Palmata. " Mazames," 

 he says, " Caprarum mediocrium, paulove majori, constant 

 magnitudine ; pilo teguntur cano et qui facile avellatur 

 fulvoque ; sed lateribus et ventre candentibus, .... cornua 

 gestant Juxta exortum lata ac in paucos parvosque teretes 

 ac prczacutos ramos divisa ; et sub eis oculos" This de- 

 scription cannot apply to any known Deer of America, not 

 even to Cervus Goronatus, still less when we refer to the 

 figure Recchus, who justly viewed this species, and pos- 

 sibly another to be noticed in the sequel, as Antelopes, or 

 in the language of his time as Caprae ; says, " Hos (Teleth 

 cal Mazame et Temmamazame) ego potius computaverim 

 in capreos quam inter cervost." The original mistake was 

 made by Count de Buffon, who, in a sweeping clause, for 

 which he most certainly had not sufficient grounds, refused 

 to America indigenous Goats, Sheep, and Antelopes, prior 

 to the discovery of that hemisphere by Europeans : it must, 

 however, be confessed, that so extraordinary a conformation 

 in the horns as the Dicronoceri offer, could scarcely be sus- 

 pected from the rude plates of earlier naturalists, unless 

 they had been explained with that care and minuteness 

 which the moderns generally observe. 



The Subgeneric or Racemous name Dicranocerus, which 

 we propose for this group, is sufficiently explicit to require 



* Mr. D. is likewise not correct when he says, " Get animal 

 que," Mr. H. Smith, " Rapporte aii Mazame d'Hernandez." . . . 

 Now the text says that the Mazame is one of the group, and, pro- 

 bably, A. Palmata. 



t Nard. Ant. Recchus apud Hernandesium, lib. ix. cap. xiv. 

 p. 324 et 325,Jlguras ad ipsas paginas. See also Hernandes rerum 

 medicarum Nova Hispanice Thesaurus, cap. 15, p. 324. 



Vol. IV. N 



