CERVID.,E, a family of mammalia belonging to the tribe Ruminantia. They are remarkable for their fine horns, called antlers, which they shed annually, and the females of the reindeer, of all the family, possess horns normally. The sub families .of, the family Cervidm comprise the Cervinm, or true stag, with the genus Cervus, and the Rusinx, which includes the genera Rucervus, Rusa, Axis, and Cervulus. But the deer tribe of Southern and Eastern Asia have presented un usual difficulties to the scientific men of Europe. Indeed, Schinz (Nachtrage zum Den Bande) suggests that under the denomination Cervus muntjak six different species lie hid, viz.: 1. Cervus styloceros, Satins, syn. C. muntjak, Linn. apud ()gift, hab. Himalaya ; 2. C. Ratwa, Hodgson, hab. Himalaya ; 3. C. albipes, F. Curler, hab. India ; 4. C. muntjak, Baffles and Horsfleld, hab. Sumatra, Banka, Borneo, and Java ; 5. C. Reevesii, Ogilby, hab. China ; 6. C. Antisiensis, Pucheran, hab. Andes ; and the names applied by sportsmen are almost as varied as the synonyms of the scientific writers. In the genus Cervus of the sub-family Cervinaa, the horns of adults are typical, with two basal tines, a median tine, and the summit more or less branched. The red deer of Scotland is typical of this group ; two species, outliers of Northern and Central Asia, occur in British India, one in the extreme N.W., and the other in the extreme N.E. corner of the province, and others in Eastern Asia. The name of the tribe is obtained from cervus, the stag.
(a) C. Wallichii, Cur., tailless deer of India.
C. pygragus, Hardwicke. I Kashmir Stag.
Red deer, . 1 . , . ENG. Maral ; Goo-koohi, PERS. Bara Singha, . . HIND. Gevezu, . . . • Jezrail, . . . . „ Giana, . . . . TIBET.
. Occurs in Persia, Nepal, and the sal forests.
(b) C. affinis, Tibetan stag of Hodgson.
Sal forest stag, . . ENG. I Stroa, . . , . TIBET.
Sikkim stag, . . „ Occurs in Tibet and the sal forests.
(c) C. sika, the sika of Japan, of a dark brown colour, with slender horns.
(d) Panolia acuticornis. Gray.
P. Eldii, Gray. I C. frontalis, M'Clelland.
Rusa lyratus, Schinz. C. Eldii, Cal. J. N. H.
Cervns lyratus, Schinz.
Sangnai, . . . HIND. I . . . . HIND.
Occurs in the Munipore valley and in the Malay Peninsula ; is exceedingly wary.
- (e) Rucervus duvaucelli, Cuv.
R. elapboides, Hodgson. I C. elapk.rdes, Hodgson. Cervus duvaucelli, Cuv. .
Bara Singha, . . HIND. I Buraya, . .. . . HIND Spotted deer of the Sunderbuns. It inhabits the eastern and northern skirts of Bengal and Hindustan, and the Sunderbuns. It inhabits reedy marshes and the islands of great rivers, never entering the mountains or forests. The tail is short, with no caudal disc and no heavy mane.
(f) Rusa equina, Cur., Ham. Smith.
Cervus rusa, Raffles. Rusa equina, Gray.
C. equines, Cue. R. hippelaphus.
C. hippelaphus, Elliot, Cat.
Rusa etam of the people of Samboo deer of Bennett. Sumatra. Sambur of the Mahrattas. Rosa etam, . . MALAY. Sambara, . . SANKT. Rosa kumbang, „ Eland or elk of Dutch Kumbang, . . „ sportsmen.
It inhabits the Dekhan, S. Mahratta country, Sumatra, Borneo, and Banka. It is of a pale brown colour. Considering the similarity of colours and size of C. equines, hippelaphus, and Aristotelis, Mr. Elliot is probably right in con sidering all three as varieties of the great Indian stag, described by Aristotle under the designation of Hippelaphus ; and C. Peronii, Cuv. (Cerf du Timor), may probably be added as a fourth variety.
(g) Rusa hippelaphus, Cur.
Cervus hippelaphos, Cuv. Russ Moluccensis of Gray, C. Timorensis, Muller. Smith.
C. Moluccensis of Quoy and Gains.
Sambur of India. Hippelaphe of F. Cuv, Mijangan Banjoa, Malay Cerf d'eau of Duvaucell. of Java. Russ of Java and Sumatra.
Cerf noir du Bengal of Cuv. Roussaitan 7t It inhabits the great forests of India, Bengal, Sumatra, and Java. It is about the size of the common stag. In winter is of a greyish-brown, and in summer it is of a brighter and more golden brown. The croup is pale yellow, and the tail is brown, terminated by rather long hair, which is rough and hard ; and all about the head and neck and cheeks grows long, like a mane and beard.