. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. to5 NATURAL HISTORY. the body lengthy. The body-colour is a light red-brown all over. There is no tuft of hair on the head as in the Muntjacs, to which by some it might be imagined to be allied. From Mr. Swinhoe's account of the species we leam that " In the large riverine islands of the Yangtsze, above Chiukiang, these animals occur in large numbers, living among the tall rushes that ai-e there grown for thatching and other purposes. The rushes are cut down in the spring; and the Deer then swim away to the main shore and retire to th
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. to5 NATURAL HISTORY. the body lengthy. The body-colour is a light red-brown all over. There is no tuft of hair on the head as in the Muntjacs, to which by some it might be imagined to be allied. From Mr. Swinhoe's account of the species we leam that " In the large riverine islands of the Yangtsze, above Chiukiang, these animals occur in large numbers, living among the tall rushes that ai-e there grown for thatching and other purposes. The rushes are cut down in the spring; and the Deer then swim away to the main shore and retire to the cover of the hills. . For- tunately for the Deer, the Chinese have an extraordinary dislike for their flesh. I could not ascer- tain why ; but it must be from some strange superstition, as the Celestials are otherwise pretty omnivorous. Tlie Deer are killed only for the European markets [of Shanghai], and sold at a low |irice. Their venison is coarse, and without much taste The Chinese at Shanghai call this animal the Ke, but at Cliinkiang they are named Chang—the classical term for the ;. CHINESE M \TER DEER THE CHINESE ELAPHURE.* ThLs most interesting Deer was discovered in 1865 by tlie indef;itigable French naturalist, M. Armand David. In his account of the animal. Dr. Sclater f tells us that M. David first observed it whilst looking over the wall of the Imperial Hunting-park at Pekin, to which no European is allowed admission. There it is found in a semi-domesticated state, its native place probably being Eastern Mantchuria. In 1869, Sir Eutherford Alcock succeeded in sending a living pair to England, which were exhibited for some time in the London Zoological Gardens, and from which much information has been obtained with reference to their habits. It resembles the Swamp Deer of India (Rucervus Duvaucelli) in its proportions and size, standing nearly four feet at the shoulder. The legs are somewhat heavy and the feet expanded, but it is in its antlers that
Size: 2013px × 1241px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectanimals
