200 



Rucervine Group 



a. Burmese Race — Cervus eldi typicus 



Characters. — Antlers rounded throughout, with few or no additional 

 snags on the terminal tines, and the brow-tine usually very long ; colour 

 generally uniform umber-brown, as described above, or with a very few 

 spots along the middle of the back. 



Distribution. — The valley of Manipur, and thence southwards through 

 Burma and the Malay Peninsula. It has been shown by Mr. Blyth that 

 antlers from the Malay Peninsula and Mergui are smaller than those from 

 Manipur and Burma, and have also very frequently two or three vertical 

 snags on the brow-tine which are wanting in the latter. This difference is, 

 however, scarcely sufficient to justify a sub-specific separation, especially as 

 there is in all probability a complete gradation between the two types. 



b. Siamese Race — Cervus eldi platyceros 



Panolia platyceros, Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus. p. 181 (1843), Cat. 

 I r ng it lata Brit. Mus. p. 203 (1852). 



Dama platyceros, Reichenbach, Naturgesch. Saugethiere, vol. iii. p. 1 6 (1 845). 



Panolia platycercus, Gray, Cat. Ruminants Brit. Mus. p. 75 (1872), Hand- 

 list Ruminants Brit. Mus. p. 144 (1873). 



Plate XV 



Characters. — The main termination of the antler much flattened, with a 

 large number of small snags on the sharp hinder edge ; and the brow-tine 

 relatively short. Pelage apparently always spotted along the middle line of 

 the back, and sometimes on the sides as well, reddish at all seasons. 



In the British Museum this deer is represented by a fine pair of adult 

 antlers from Southern Siam presented by the late Sir R. Schomburgk, which 

 are so different from those of the typical race as to merit sub-specific dis- 

 tinction. In addition to the snags on the summit, they bear a large 

 number of small points near the junction of the comparatively short brow- 

 tine with the beam. 



I can find no description of the coloration of Siamese or Cambodian 

 examples. Mr. Swinhoe 1 has, however, described and figured antlers from 



1 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, pp. 652 et scq. 



