Japanese Sika 113 



region of the tail stands out in bold contrast to the general colour at all 

 seasons. The metatarsal tuft is very distinct. 



Originally this deer was supposed to be confined to Japan, but Mr. 

 Swinhoe described, under the name of C. eu'dpis, a specimen from China, now 

 in the British Museum, which, as Sir Victor Brooke states, can in no wise 

 be distinguished from the typical island form. The first examples of this 

 deer brought to England were received at the Zoological Society's Gardens in 

 i860, but later on other Japanese examples arrived which were of larger 

 size, and thus served to connect the typical form with the larger Manchurian 

 race referred to below. This led Sir Victor Brooke 1 to express the opinion 

 that when a larger series of these deer were acquired, it would be found 

 impossible to separate them into definite species, but that they would 

 constitute local races of a single very variable specific type ; and it is very 

 difficult to believe that this is not the correct view, although in certain 

 points the typical manchuricus differs very markedly. 



A large herd of sikas maintained in the park at Woburn Abbey exhibit 

 considerable variation in size, and tend to show that eventually a series may 

 be obtained graduating in height from the 2 feet 8 inches of the typical 

 Japanese race to the 3 feet 3 or 5 inches of the Manchurian race. 



From the following list, which is taken from Mr. Rowland Ward's 

 book, it would appear that from eight to ten points are occasionally 

 developed in the antlers of the species, although I have never seen specimens 

 with more than five on each side. 



Length on 

 Outer Curve. 



Basal 

 Circumference. 



Tip to Tip. 



Wiliest inside. 



Number of 

 Points. 



Locality. 



3ii 



5i 







4-4 



? 





4i 





? 



4-4 



? 



22I 



3i 



1 61 





8-9 



Japan 



22 



4 



i6| 



i3f 



5-4 



Bred in Ireland 



2l| 



ii 



1 61 



20I 



10-6 



Yezzo 



1 81 



3f 



? 



1 2 



9 



Bred in Ireland 



1 81 



3i 



1 1 



I2i 



4-4 



Japan 



i6f 



3i 



? 



13 



4-3 



>> 



i6| 



3 



9f 



IO 



4-3 



Bred in Ireland 



i5i 



2^ 



9i 



ioi 



4-4 



Bred in England 



Mi 



o3 







4-4 



Bred in Ireland 



Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 909. 

 Q 



