CHAPTER VIII 
FALLOW DEER HORNS 
The classification of the Asiatic deer, as well as that of the great wild sheep, has always been 
the subject of some discussion both amongst sportsmen and naturalists. Now the fallow deer, 
SHOWING THE CLOSE ASSOCIATION OF THE FALLOW BUCK WITH CERTAIN EASTERN DEER 
i. Small Asia Minor fallow buck. 2. English park fallow buck. 3. A very common type, English park fallow buck (showing tendency of back point to 
lose itself in the palm). 4. Castle Caldwell horn with split palm (back point sometimes retained, sometimes lost). 5. New Forest head (wild New Forest heads 
are also often as No. 6). 6. Horn of the big fallow buck, now only found on the littoral by the Gulf of Marmora. 7 and 7 b. Horns of Persian fallow deer 
(C. mesopotamicus ), from Luristan hills (the small back point is still often present). 8. Horn of typical C. duvaucelli, India. 9. Horn of typical C. schomburgki, 
Siam. 
the Persian fallow deer (and the extinct C. browni , C. megaceros , and C. ruffi ) are, in the 
deer groups, generally shunted into a corner by themselves ; whilst the swamp deer (C. 
duvaucelli ) and Schomburgk’s deer (C. schomburgki ) are considered to be most closely allied 
to the Sambar group. Closely allied is true enough, but these two latter are in reality none 
other than glorified Cervus dama , which Eastern environment has caused to alter slightly. 
As a matter of fact we have the very closest contiguity of species between the small fallow 
deer from Asia Minor, the (erroneously called) C. mesopotamicus from the Gulf of Marmora 
littoral, the (true) C. mesopotamicus in Persia, C. duvaucelli in India, and C. schomburgki in 
Burmah. 
This is hardly the place to enter upon such a discussion, so I shall merely confine myself 
