252 CEETmJS. 



the nasals, larger than the royal antler ; median or royal antler directed 

 forwards and upwards ; beam with a terminal fork, the prongs radiating 

 laterally and equally, the inner one longest and thinnest." 



Compared with the Kashmir stag this one has the beam still more bent 

 at the origin of the median tine, and thus more removed from C elaphus ; 

 and, like C. WalUchii, the second basal tine or bez-antler is generally 

 present, even in the second pair of horns assumed. Moreover, the simple 

 bifurcation of the crown mentioned above, is a still more characteristic point 

 of difference, both from the Kashmir Barasingha, and the stag of Europe. 

 The Shou nearly approaches the Wapiti, Cervus canadensis, in size and 

 general .character, but the horns of the latter converge less at the tip, or 

 do not tend to converge at all, and the crown consists mostly of " success 

 sively diminishing tines on the same plane, thrown off and upward from 

 the continuation of the beam that inclines backward." 



One pair of horns measured 54 inches along the curve, and 47 inches iu 

 divergence between the two outer snags; the longest basal tine 12 inches, 

 the median 8 ; and still larger ones have been seen. 



Hodgson first made known this fine stag, but was misled by his shika- 

 rees to believe it to be an inhabitant of the sal forest of the Nepal Terai, 

 Blyth, from imperfect naaterials, long denied the existence of this species 

 as distinct from G. WalUchii, but latterly (1861) fully acknowledged his 

 former error. It inhabits Eastern Tibet ; and, as I was informed by Dr, 

 Campbell, the valley of Choombi on the Sikim side of Tibet, formerly the 

 summer retreat of the Sikim Eajas. 



It is probably also the great stag of Northern China, the Irlisch of 

 Siberia, and the Alain of Atkinson. How far west it extends we have 

 no exact information, but it probably extends to the longitude of the western 

 boundary of Nepal, at least, on the other side of the snowy range. Indeed, 

 it has been stated by Blyth, that he saw some "horns of this deer brought 

 from Ladakh, but that does not prove that they were killed there." 



It is a question whether the individual from which the figure of Cervus 

 WalUchii was taken belonged to this species or the Kashmir stag. The 

 individual stag was living in the Barrackpore Menagerie, and was stated 

 to have been brought from Muktinath, near DewaUgiri, to the east of the 

 Gundhuk river, but north of the snowy range. "When Mr. Blyth first 

 obtained a specimen of the " Shou " from Dr. Campbell, he stated that, 

 " most decidedly it is that well figured in M. F. Cuvier's work by the 

 name C. WalUchii." He subsequently, however-says, " this animal died 



