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Show 30 ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF TilE DEAGLE. wards and upwards, and is situated at three and a quarter inches from the apex of the beam. The total length of the beam is eight inches, measured in a straight line. The third pair of horns, (fig. 3.) which must have belonged to an animal con-siderably older than either of the preceding pairs, exhibits a large brow a11tlet·, in length exceeding half that of the beam: here the posterior snag is also large, and is directed backwards and upwards, whilst the apical portion of the beam is directed forward about as much as the snag is directed backwards. The total length of this horn is eleven and a half inches, measured in a straight line. The last figure (No. 4.) represents the horn of one of the specimens of which an entire skin was brought over. This horn differs only from the last in being slightly larger, and in having two additional small snags, one springing from the under side, and near the apex, of the brow antler, and the other springing from the hinder part, and near the apex of the great posterior snag. " The Spaniards say they can distinguish how old a deer is by the number of the branches on the horns. They atlirmed that the specimen, of which figure 4 represents one of the horns, was nine years old. It certainly was a vet·y old one, as all its teeth were decayed. 'l'his specimen was killed at Maldonado, in the middle of June; another specimen was killetl at Bahia Blanca, (about three hundred and sixty miles southward,) in the month of October, with the hairy skin on the horns: there were others, however, whose horns were free from skin. At this time of the year, many of the does had just kidded. I was informed, by the Spaniards, that this deer sheds its horns every year. "The Cermts cmnpestris is exceedingly abundant throughout the countrie · bordering the Plata. It is found in Northern Patagonia as far south as the Rio Negro, (Lat. 41°); but, further southward, none were seen by the officers employed in surveying the coast. It appears to prefer a hilly country; I saw very many small herds, containing from five to seven animals each, ncar the Sierra Ventana, and among the hills north of Maldonaclo. If a person, crawliug close along the ground, slowly advances towards a herd, the deer frequently approach, out of curiosity, to reconnoitre him. I have by this means killed, from one spot, three out of the same herd. Although thus so tame ancl inquisitive, yet, when approached on horseback, they are exceedingly wary. In this country nobody goes on foot, and the deer knows man as its enemy, only when he is mounted, and armed. with the bolas. At Bahia Blanca, a recent establishment in Northern Patagonia, I was surprised to fmd how little the deer careu for the noise of a gun: one day, l fired ten times, from within eighty yards, at one animal, and it was much more startled at the ball cutting up the grounu, than at the report. " The most curious fact, with respect to this animal, is the overpoweringly MAMMAL TA. 31 strong and offensive odour which proceeds from the bu . . . able: several times, whilst skinning the s ecime cl~. _It IS qmte mdescribZoological Museum, I was almost overc pb n, whJCh 1~ now mounted at the 'Jk orne y nausea I tied l th k' . SI pocket-handkerchief. and so ca .. d .t h .' t P e s m m a ' 1 ne I ome · thrs h lk h · f. well washed, I continually used and 't f' · anc ere 1e , after being . ' I was, o course as repeated! h d every time, when first unfolded for a f ' y was e ; yet . ' space o one year and se h I . tmctly perceived the odour Th' . ven mont s, drs- . Is appears an astomshin · t f nence of some matter which in it t g ms ance o the perma- 1 . ' s na ure, nevertheless must b b 'I vo attie. Frequently when pass· . t tl d' ' e most su b e and ' < mg a 1e •stance of h lf ·1 herd, I have perceived the whol . t . d . a a mt e to leeward of a e au amte wrth the effiuv· I b 1' smell from the buck is most power£ 1 t tl . mm. e •eve the free from the hairy skin Wh ~ a I . re perwd when its horns are perfect, or · en m t lls state the t · f uneatable ; but the Spaniards assert that . . . mea IS, o course, quite earth, the ta 1 ' 11 t ' If buned for some time in fresh • is removed. These deer o·ene. II . 1 b pounds."-D. b Ia yweJgla outsixtyorseventy FAMILY-MURIDJE. 1 · Mus DECUMANus. Mus dccumanns, Auctorum. ~~ tdhe extensive _collection of Rodent animals brought home by Mr D . . n several specimens of the above n d . . . . a I wm, resemble tl E ame species, that IS to say, ammals which 1e ~ ut·opean speci f 11n-: D · 1 . mens 0 J.':~.tts ecmnanus In all those characters wh · I a:,e t :e. least ]~able to variation in individuals of the same species, such as ~~~ ~i;j,)~I:wns whrch the va~ious parts of the animal bear to each other: they ei, 10wever, somewhat m colouring. I 1 Bduenos Ayres, Maldonado, Valparaiso, East Falkland Island and Keelin()' nso wan be' f,a re each ' it a ppe:I.s , m. fie sted W.i th the common European ' rat. I Jmvoe from ~ref me two speCimens from East Falkland Island, and one specimen I . , eacE 0 the other localities, and among these I find none equal in size to the atgest < uropean sp . d 'fti . ectmens : as regards the colouring, the Buenos Ayres speci-men t ers onl.y from th c E ngr t S 1l speci· mens of. lJfus Decumanus in having tl1e oufp pae rd p arts of a n·c h. er anc1 deeper hu.e , owing to the tips of the sho'r ter hairs being h b eep yellow mstead of pale yellow, and in having a rusty tint over the aunc es. |