1882.] J Cockburn — On an alnormalify in the horns of the Hog-deer. 49 



whether it should not be rather considered the normal condition, and the 

 typical antler of Garrod the reverse. In the majority of instances there 

 is a small conical snag at the base of the brow tine, but in more than one 

 specimen there is a double snag, and in one of these specimens the anterior 

 snag measures 3|^ inches in length. 



The extreme of this form of development is to be observed in Panolia 

 eldi where the brow tine has commonly 3 snags (trifurcate). It is of less 

 common occurrence in Hucervus duvaucelU, and in M. schomburgJci exhibits 

 the same type as in Megaceros^ viz., a well marked furcation of the extre- 

 mity of the brow tine. R. schomhurghi has probably the most exuberant 

 horns of any existing cervine. 



The Sambar of India, Rma aristotelis, can, as a rule, be distinguished 

 from other races by the circumstance of the tines B and C being of nearly 

 equal length, and the posterior being set on immediately behind the other. 

 It is thus in the same plane as the furcation at the brow. In the Assam 

 and Burmese races the outer tine B is, as a rule, longer than B which is 

 set on the beam in a transverse direction pointing inwards and upwards. 

 It thus approaches the horns of Accis porcinus. I would throw out the 

 suggestion that as both these animals frequent grass jungles, the more or 

 less transverse direction of the posterior tine has been produced through 

 the resistance offered to the growing horn by the grass and that this cause 

 operating similarly on both species through a series of generations has 

 resulted in a permanence of the type. 



With reference to the horns of Fanolia eldi, an examination of a large 

 series of horns in every stage of growth has convinced me that Prof. Garrod's 

 diagram is incorrect. (P. Z. S. 1877, p. 16, fig. 4.) The tine C has no 

 existence in the position assigned to it in any specimen I have seen. Horns 

 of the 2nd year's growth are in the form of a C without the top stroke. 

 The next stage is furcation of the anterior extremity. Mature horns of 

 P. eldi often have as many as 9 or 10 small snags on the main beam, in 

 addition to a terminal furcation. 



This is particularly to be noticed in the Siamese race of brow-antlered 

 deer named Cervus platyceros by Gray. Good figures of these Siamese 

 horns are given by Blyth, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 841. The palmation of the 

 extremity is evident (hence the name), and the numerous snags are, I 

 consider, of the nature of the spillers in Dama and Aloes. I cannot at 

 present offer an explanation of these spillers beyond that already given. 



