390 On the Shou or Tibetan Stag. [No. 5. 



sufficiently line, though remarkable for strength, and they are terminat- 

 ed by hoofs yet more noticeable for their breadth. The false hoofs 

 are well developed and obtusely conoid in shape. The pointed narrow 

 ears have no strise within, but are filled with soft hair abundantly — a 

 peculiarity which we may, no doubt, refer, like the contracted nudity 

 of the muzzle and of the larmiers, to the coldness of the animal's 

 habitat. 



The pelage is of two sorts, a very fine wool next the skin, and a 

 harsh, quill-like, porrect hair ; whereof the latter is inserted in the 

 skin by a slender pedicle or neck and is elsewhere throughout com- 

 pressed but not wavy. The pelage is abundant and pretty equable 

 in length, the cervine mane being by no means conspicuous and being 

 proper rather to the lower than upper surface of the neck. It is 

 chiefly developed about the gullet and that part of the abdominal sur- 

 face of the neck which is next the gullet. But there is more or less 

 of mane also on the dorsal surface of the neck ; the samples before 

 me being those of the winter dress of the species. The longest cer- 

 vical and gular hair is from five to six inches ; that of the body gene- 

 rally is not above two to two and half inches. 



The general colour is earthy brown more or less lutescent, the head 

 and neck being concolorous with the back ; but the flanks are conspi- 

 cuously paled, and the belly as conspicuously darkened. There are 

 no fixed marks on the head, even the dark patch below the gape being 

 sometimes wanting, and the neck, though paler below than above, is 

 not very noticeably so. But the paling of the flanks is as decidedly 

 so as the nigrescence of the belly ; the white and black forming a 

 conspicuous contrast on those parts. 



More or less of the albescence of the flanks is communicated to the 

 abdominal surface of the neck, and very noticeably to the hinder 

 margin of the buttocks which is whitened confluently with the small 

 caudal disc. The limbs are paler than the back, darker than the 

 flanks, and they have an earthy brown list down the their external 

 and anterior aspect. The internal and prevalent colour of the pelage 

 is purpurescent slaty of a more or less embrowned tinge ; the colours 

 above noted being, for the most part, only the superficial ones, though 

 the albescent and nigrescent parts have the pelage wholly of a whitish 

 or of black brown hue. 



