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Show 1867.] MR. E. BLYTH ON THREE ASIATIC DEER. 835 4. Notes upon Three Asiatic Species of Deer. By E D W A R D BLYTH. Upon a former occasion I exhibited at a Meeting of this Society (see P. Z. S. 1863, p. 155) some loose horns of a species of Deer believed to inhabit Siam, which I named in honour of m y late friend Sir Robert H. Schomburgk, who at that time filled the position of H.B.M. Consul at Bangkok. When that accomplished naturalist returned from Siam he brought a miscellaneous collection of objects of natural history from that country, many of which were disposed of by auction after his decease. It contained two splendid pairs of horns of Rucervus schomburgki, and one very fine pair of horns of the Siamese variety or distinct race of Panolia eldi, which has been designated P. platyceros by Dr. Gray, as distinguished from his P. acuticornis. Those three pairs of horns were purchased for the British Museum, and I have there had photographs taken of them, which, with some other photographs and drawings illustrative of the different forms of Rucervus, Hodgson, and Panolia, Gray, I herewith submit for publication in the Society's 'Proceedings'*. Figs. 1, 2, 3 represent three pairs of horns of the Indian R. duvaucelii, the lowermost being those of an aged buck with extraordinarily developed " crown," in the museum of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta. Fig. 4 represents the finest pair of horns of this species that I have seen, and which I sketched many years ago when in the possession of the late Frank Russell, Esq., of the Bengal Civil Service. Fig. 5 represents a pair in which the near affinity of Rucervus to Panolia is at once recognized. Figs. 6 to 12 (inclusive) represent the horns of R. schomburgki, fig. 6 being the only pair of the series which is still attached to the frontlet. This pair and that represented in two aspects of view by figs. 7 and 8 are the two pairs which belonged to Schomburgk, and I regard the last referred to as a genuine pair, although detached from the frontal bones. Figs. 10 and 1 1 1 consider to represent odd horns matched, as also figs. 9 and 12. These three fine pairs, or rather series of six odd horns, were rescued from the stock of a cutler in Sheffield, who said that he had converted many like them into knife-handles. Both figs. 6 and 11, it will be remarked, have forked brow-antlers; and the near resemblance of several of these beautiful horns to tbe largest of the three which I formerly figured and restored conjecturally when first bringing the species to notice, will not fail to excite attention. The characteristic style of ramification is prominently observable. With regard to the animal, I have not been able to learn anything whatever, excepting that I have been assured that a living buck of the species is at this time living in the Jardin des Plantes at Paris. Figs. 13 to 16 (inclusive) represent four specimens of P. eldi * Three additional fine pairs of horns of R. schomburgki have been subsequently received, and are now in the national collection. These I have also had photographed, as the pair with branching brow-antlers (fig. 11). |
