Antelopes.
Nilgai.
Deer.
The Bison.
lower than 12,000 feet. The barhal , or blue wild sheep, andthe markhor and tahr (both wild goats), also inhabit the Hima layas . A variety of the ibex is also found there, as well as inthe highest ranges of Southern India . The sarau (Nemor-htedus rubidus), allied to the chamois, has a wide range inthe mountains of the north, from the Himalayas to Assam andBurma .
The antelope tribe is represented by comparatively fewspecies, as compared with the great number found in Africa.The antelope proper (Antilope cervicapra), the ‘ black buck ’of sportsmen, is very generally distributed. Its special habitatis salt plains, as on the coast-line of Gujarat (Guzerat) andOrissa , where herds of 50 does may be seen, accompanied bya single buck. The doe is of a light fawn colour, and has nohorns. The colour of the buck is a deep brown-black above,sharply marked off from the white of the belly. His spiralhorns, twisted for three or four or more turns like a cork-screw, often reach the length of 30 inches. The flesh isdry and unsavoury, but is permitted meat for Hindus , evenof the Brahman caste. The four-horned antelope (Tetracerosquadricornis) and the gazelle (Gazella bennettii) are also foundin India . The chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni) is confined to theHimalayan plateaux.
The nilgai or blue cow (Portax pictus) is also widely dis-tributed, but specially abounds in Hindustan Proper andGujarat . As with the antelope, the male alone has the darkblue colour. The nilgai is held peculiarly sacred by Hindus ,from its fancied kinship to the cow, and on this account itsdestructive inroads upon the crops are tolerated.
The king of the deer tribe is the sambhar or gerau (Cervusaristotelis), erroneously called ! elk ’ by sportsmen. It is foundon the forest-clad hills in all parts of the country. It is of adeep-brown colour, with hair on its neck almost like a mane;and it stands nearly 5 feet high, with spreading antlers nearly3 feet in length. Next in size is the swamp deer or bara-singha, signifying ‘twelve points’ (Cervus duvaucelli), whichis common in Lower Bengal and Assam . The chital orspotted deer (Cervus axis) is generally admitted to be themost beautiful inhabitant of the Indian jungles. Otherspecies include the hog deer (Cervus porcinus), the barkingdeer or muntjac (Cervulus muntijac), and the so-called mousedeer (Tragulus meminna). The musk deer (Moschus moschi-ferus) is confined to Tibet .