Description of a new Deer. 



405 



ed relative to the habits and character of this interesting 

 species. As Capt. Eld's letter is recorded, vol. ii. p. 415, 

 it will be unnecessary here to do more than refer to his 

 observations, which are highly important and valuable, as 

 coming from a sportsman who was familiar with the animal 

 in its wild state. It would appear from the letter of Capt. 

 Eld;, that he had been acquainted with the animal since 

 1838, and was only deterred at that time from communicating 

 an account of it to the public journals on being told, that 

 a similar deer was to be found in the forests of the North 

 Western Provinces. Had Capt. Eld not been deterred from 

 carrying his intention into effect, he would then have had 

 the priority of all other claims in contributing to the dis- 

 covery of an unknown animal of much interest; but as he 

 did not carry his intention into effect, his prior knowledge 

 cannot deprive Capt. Guthrie of any portion of the very 

 high degree of merit indubitably due to him, and to him 

 alone, as the first person to announce to the world the ex- 

 istence of Cervus frontalis. But this is not the only merit 

 due to Capt. Guthrie in this instance, for not satisfied with 

 the first announcement of a new fact, he devoted three years' 

 labour and attention in procuring skeletons and skins, and 

 heads, in every degree of development and livery, in order 

 to establish, beyond doubt, the discovery which he was first 

 to indicate, and to enable the world to become practically 

 acquainted with it.* 



Although differing considerably in the form of the horns 

 from any of the Rusa deer, still the general form, the colour, 



* It is of much consequence to preserve strictly, the exact degree 

 and nature of the claims of different persons to the share in which 

 they have been instrumental in the discovery of new facts. While, 

 therefore, we owe to Capt. Guthrie the first announcement of the 

 species, as well as all the materials necessary for the fullest and most 

 complete description, we likewise owe to Capt. Eld, an interesting 

 account of its habits, 



