THE AXIS DEER. 557 



The Barasinga is found in Farther India, but it is not known whether 

 it prefers the mountains or the lowlands. It is lively and courageous, 

 and, unlike most deer, it " bells" at all seasons of the year : its voice being 

 a short bleat, very like that of a young goat. 



THE AXIS DEER. 



The Axis Deer, Ccrvus axis (Plate XLI), is a species well known in 

 India and Ceylon. The horns are placed on long footstalks, and simply 

 forked at their tips. The color of the animal is a rich golden-brown 

 with a dark stripe along the back between two series of white spots. 

 The sides are covered with white spots arranged in oblique curved lines. 

 It is nocturnal in its habits, and is not so active or restless as many other 

 deer. It loves to lie in the low jungle-lands near a stream, where it 

 sleeps all through the hot day. As far as marking and color go, the 

 Axis Deer is the most beautiful of its race. 



THE SAMBUR. 



The Sambur, Cervus Aristotelis, is often regarded as the type of a 

 sub-genus to which the name Russa — from a Malay word meaning "stag" 

 — has been given. It is a large, powerful animal, quite as large as the 

 Red Deer, and equally active. Its horns, like those of the Axis Deer, 

 are set on a long foot-stalk, with a prong projecting forward just above 

 the crown, and the tip forked. The color is a sooty-brown, with a patch 

 of tan over the eyes. It is a savage and ill-tempered beast, and is found 

 throughout India, and in Sumatra and Malacca. 



THE MANED STAG. 



The Maxed Stag, Ccrvus Jiippclaphas, is scarcely inferior to the Red 

 Deer in size, and possesses the usual characteristics of the Russine group 

 in the formation of its horns. The color of its coat varies with the 

 seasons. In summer it consists of rough, sparse hair of a brownish- 

 fawn color which is hard to describe. Both sexes are of the same color, 

 even the young ones do not possess the dappled coats which distinguish 

 the young of most of the Ccrvidcc. The buck is conspicuous by a strong 

 mane which develops itself on the lower part of the neck and chin. 



As far as is known, this deer is confined to the islands of Java, Suma- 

 tra and Borneo, and in India, where it is found in abundance, but in small 



