OCR Text |
Show 1899.] MR. R. LYDEKKER ON THE CHILIAN GUEMAL. 917 4. Specific Characters of the Chilian Guemal. By R. LYDEKKER. [Eeceived August 30, 1899.] (Plate LXI.) When describing that subgeneric group of American Deer commonly known as Guemals in 'Deer of All Lands,' I had no mounted specimen of the Chilian species to compare with the one of the Peruvian Guemal in the British Museum; the latter having suffered considerably from fading. Consequently, I was compelled to rely on the descriptions of others; and now that the Museum (thanks to Dr. H . P. Moreno) has acquired a beautiful male of the Chilian Guemal, I find that there are several inaccuracies in m y description. In the first place, the Chilian Guemal is a considerably larger animal than the Peruvian species, the shoulder-height in themounted specimens of these species in the Museum being respectively 3 9^ and 33^ inches. Secondly, it is much more uniformly coloured than its northern relative, the greater portion of the under-parts, limbs, and buttocks being of the same tint as the back, instead of very much lighter. The faded condition of the Museum specimen of the Peruvian species does not admit of the original tint of the hair being precisely determined; but it was evidently speckled after the manner of the Chilian form. In the latter, the general colour of the head and upper-parts is bright greyish-yellow speckled with black. A broad black band runs up the middle of the face from the muzzle to terminate in a fork between the eyes ; the sides of the muzzle being brown and the extremity of the chin whitish. The upper surface of the tail is coloured like the back, while the under surface is white; there is no trace of the brown patch on the rump and the brown upper surface of the root of the tail characteristic of the Peruvian species. The under-parts and limbs, with the exception of the inguinal region, the front and upper part of the inner surface of the thighs, and a streak on the postero-internal surface of the fore legs (which are greyish white), are also coloured like the back ; thus presenting a very striking difference from the Peruvian animal, in which they are very much lighter. The tarsal tuft, too, instead of being dark umber-brown on a whitish ground, is likewise of the same speckled hue as the upper-parts. In regard to the antlers, they are distinguished from those of the Chilian species by the forking taking place at a considerably greater distance above the burr, so that between the latter and the upper surface of the fork there is an interval of nearly two inches instead of less than an inch. The antlers of the specimen figured in the drawing (Plate LXI.), which came from Patagonia, are comparatively thin and smooth. In a head from Ultima Esperanza, Patagonia, recently acquired by the |