181

AXIS DEER.

Tus is a very elegant animal of the deer kind,
and a native of India. It is perhaps one of the
best-known of all the Indian species of the family
among us; for it not only is able to be kept in our
menageries or zoological gardens, but thrives well in
open parks.

It is very plentiful in various parts of India, being
found on the banks of the River Ganges, and in the
province of Bengal, as also in many of the larger islands
which compose the Indian Archipelago. There “‘it lives
in herds, the luxuriant vegetation of the jungles, its
favourite localities, affording abundance of food.

The general colour of this species is fawn yellow, a
black stripe running down the spine of the back. The
sides are beautifully and regularly spotted with white:
a row, forming an almost continuous line, passes along
each side.”

In all the different species of deer that comprise what
is called the Axine group, the limbs are of a delicate
form and slender make, and the general shape is rather
graceful than robust. Few of them exceed our common
fallow deer in size, and, excepting as regards the antlers,
the axis deer bears a very strong resemblance to it, especially
the female, so much so indeed as to be scarcely dis-
tinguishable on a superficial inspection. “The hair is
short, smooth, and close; the expression of the physiognomy
is gentle, yet animated, and agrees with the disposition.”

In captivity, these deer are quiet and inoffensive, but
timid and suspicious. Their sense of smell is so acute