35o 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
the extreme quickness, and dexterity in using the 
antlers, made it a more formidable antagonist to 
the greyhound than the more powerful but less 
active sambur. The real sport lay in coursing with 
a brace of greyhounds, but the difficulty lay in 
discovering a single stag. The deer were in herds, 
therefore when the hounds were slipped, they took 
different deer, instead of selecting and following only 
one. A single greyhound would be sure to receive 
a wound if he were game enough to go straight for 
the deer’s head. 
The hog-deer (C. porcinus ) is the third species 
in Asiatic deer which has only six tines to the pair 
of antlers. This is a remarkable little animal about 
the size or a little larger than a good roe-deer. 
The skin is a deep rich brown, and the horns 
resemble those of a diminutive sambur. The habits 
of this deer are totally opposed to all others. It is 
never in herds, although a locality may abound with 
them, but it is generally found in pairs, or singly. 
The female of this species has frequently two calves 
at a birth. I have never been able to understand 
the reason of the name “hog-deer,” except that it is 
generally found in high grass and the same places 
that are infested by wild pigs. In certain districts 
the C. porcinus is very common, while in many 
other portions of India it does not exist. It generally 
lies close to the ground in very high grass or dense 
bush, and will not move until it is beaten out, or 
almost trodden upon by a line of elephants. They 
are difficult to hit with a bullet from the howdah, as 
