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Show 38 MR. R. LYDEKKER ON THE [Jan. 1 9, which is slightly less prolonged upwards. Metatarsal tuft whitish. Tail moderate. Neck maned. In summer spotted; in winter uniform brown. Black bands on each side of the pure white anal disk form a cross with the narrow black streak along the dorsum of the tail. Stature medium. Voung indistinctly spotted." This diagnosis, which has been copied by the writers of all sub-quent text-books (who of course cannot be expected to verify the statements of those specialists from whom they derive their information), is incorrect in respect to the uniform colour of the coat in winter being common to all the species. Prof. A. Milne-Edwards had previously stated that in C. mandarlnus (regarded by Brooke as a synonym of C. manchurlcus) the spotting is permanent; and this had also been indicated by Gray in his description of the deer which was subsequently named G. hortulorum. The Woburn specimens show decisively that the latter species is always spotted. In the aforesaid paper Sir V. Brooke provisionally admitted seven species of the Sicine group, although he suggested that four of them-namely, C. euopls, C. manchurlcus, C. dgbowskll, and C. kopschl-would very probably turn out to be synonyms of C. sica, with which, as already stated, C. mandarlnus was wrongly identified. With regard to C. caspicus1, from the mountains south-west of the Caspian, which was founded on antlers in the collection of Brooke himself, it is practically certain that this form does not belong to the Sicine group at all, of which the range will consequently be confined to North-eastern Asia. Unfortunately, the type antlers are not to be found among Brooke's collection, which has now been presented to the British Museum ; but I would suggest that they not improbably belonged to some member of the Elaphine group in the second year of growth. Mr. Thomas informs me that a gentleman well acquainted with the district where these antlers were reported to have been obtained is confident no deer of a Sicine type exists there. C. caspicus must therefore be consigned to oblivion. Next with regard to the true Cervus pseudaxls of Eydoux and Souleyet2, I can only follow Sir V. Brooke, who observes that he has hesitated to identify this with " any species of the subo-enus. The specimen is still preserved in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle at Paris ; but though I have often carefully examined it, the absence of the skull, and the great uncertainty of the locality where it was procured, render it impossible to form a decided opinion "3. Mr. Sclater 4 has suggested that it really belongs to C. taevanus, in which case that name would have to be superseded ; pseudaxls being the earliest of all. As the result of m y examination of the Woburn collection, I conclude that apparently four distinct species of the group can be 1 Brooke, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 42; 1878, p. 909. 2 ' Voyage de La Bonite,' Zoology, vol. i. p. 64 (1841-52). 3 In his description of C. manchuricus, Brooke states that the type is in the Paris Museum ; but this refers to the true C. pseudaxls. 4 Trans. Zool. Soc. voh vii. p. 345. |