1902.] F. ~F'mn— On a pair of Abnormal Deer Horns. 135 



XIII. — On a pair of Abnormal Deer Horns. — By F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.S., 

 Deputy Superintendent, Indian Museum. 



[Received May 28th; Read June 5fch, 1902.] 



I am indebted to His Highness the Maharajah of Cooch Behar, 

 and to Mr. David Ezra (who procured me the loan of them) for the 

 opportunity of exhibiting the very remarkable pair of antlers figured 

 below. 



As will be seen they resemble those of the Sambhar (Oervus 

 unicolor) in general appearance and in their rough and deeply furrowed 

 surface ; but the terminations are much more branched than is usual 

 in this species, which has only two terminal tines. In the present 

 specimen there are no less than five terminal points, and the two horns 

 are not at all alike, the branch representing the longer terminal tine 

 in the normal horn being palmate or flattened in the left horn of this 

 pair. (See figure on page 135.) 



The number of points in this specimen no doubt accounts for the 

 statement that was made to me by Mr. Ezra, that the animal which 

 bore the horns was a hybrid between the Sambhar and the Barasingh 

 (Gervus duvauceli). But in the absence of any information as to the 

 appearance of the rest of this stag's body, I am inclined to put the 

 specimen down as an abnormal Sambhar, some Sambhar horns in the 

 collection exhibited in the Mammal Gallery also showing supernu- 

 merary points, though not to this extent. A very fine head in the 

 Asiatic Society's collection, alluded to by Mr. W. L. Sclater in his 

 pamphlet "Notes on Indian Horned Game," has nine points, both 

 terminal tines of the right horn and the anterior or outer terminal tine 

 .of the left, being bifurcated. 



Another has a third terminal tine on the right horn, directed down- 

 wards and backwards. 



A third has a snag to the brow tine of the right horn, the terminal 

 tines of the beam of which are very small. 



A fourth has three small snags at the base of the beam of the right 

 horn, and a small accessory snag on the large outer terminal tine of the 

 left. 



It is noteworthy that in all these cases the excess of points affects 

 the right horn ; but in one specimen, the single extra point, a very 

 small one, is on the inner terminal tine of the left. 



