CEHVtrtUS Atieeub. 



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tt is yet undecided whether the Kakur of India is distinct from the 

 tnuntjac of Java and Malayana. Blyth, in his Catalogue^ has considered 

 them the same, as Elliot had previously. Horsfield, in his Catalogue 

 of Mammalia, puts them distinct, but says that the specific distinctions 

 are by no means strongly marlted. Schinz, in his Synopsis Mamm., gives 

 three species from ccmtiriental India, viz., C. styloceros of Boyle's Illus- 

 tions, and C. ratwd, Hodgson, both from the Himalayas; and G. albipes 

 from PoOhahj all of whitih he coiisiders distinct from C. muntjac of 

 Malayan^: Gtftty also considered the Malayan race distinct, stating that 

 it was generally darker than the Indian animal. Df; Sclater, from obser- 

 vation of the living animals in menageries, sajrs that they appear suffi- 

 ciently distinct ; and this is the view I have long taken. 



■ The 'rib-feced deer is found in all the thick jungles and forests of India, 

 from the extreme south to the Himalayas, and from a low level to 8,000 

 or 9,000 feet in the Himalayas. It is most abundant in hilly countries, 

 and it is quite a forest aninialj only coming to the skirts of the woods 

 morning and evening to graze. It is a solitary animal, very rarely even 

 two being foimd together, tt Carries its head and neck low, and as its 

 hind quarters are tigh, its action in nmhing is peculiar and not very 

 elegant, somewhat resembUng the pace of a sheep, hence its popular but 

 very erroneous name in Southern India; " It has," says Hodgson, " no 

 powers of sustained speed and extensive leap, but is umnatched for flexi- 

 bility and power of creeping through tangled underwoodi It has, indeed, 

 a weasel-like flexibility of spine and limbs, enabling them to wend on 

 without kneeling, even when there is little more than 6 inches? of perpen- 

 dicular passage room, thus escaping their great enemy the wild dog." 



In the, Himalayas, near Darjeeling, two or three bowmen with three or 

 four common hill dogs. Will often chase one to death in an hour or bo. 

 I have seen it hunted with fox hounds on the Neelgherries, and run down 

 with tolerable ease, the woods there being very open, and if it be driven 

 out of the woods a greyhound will quickly pull it downi It is easily 

 stalked, and on the Himalayas many are lulled during the winter when 

 the snow is on the ground. It gets its name of barking-deer from its 

 call, which is a kind of short bark like that of the fox, but louder, and it 

 may be heard in the jungles it frequents both by day and by night. Colo- 

 nel Markham says that, " as it runs a curious rattlipg noise may often be 

 heard like that from two pieces of loose bone knocked together sharply." 

 It is excellent venison, but rarely carries any fat. 



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