Mammals Collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott on the Natuna Islands: Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Sciences, Vol. III, pp. 111-138 — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Mammals Collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott on the Natuna Islands: Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Sciences, Vol. III, pp. 111-138
John Stuart Mill · en
_Characters._--Color pattern essentially as in _Tragulus nigricans_
Thomas, from Balabac. Size equal to that of _T. canescens_ from the
Malay Peninsula, therefore much greater than in the Balabac animal.
_Color._--Back uniform ochraceous, fading to buff on sides, the
hairs everywhere gray at base. Both back and sides everywhere
darkened by black hair tips, but these never sufficiently abundant
to produce a dark shading in excess of the ochraceous. The relative
proportion of the dark wash to the light under color is precisely
the same as in _Tragulus canescens_ and _T. napu_ (from Linga
Island) but the black is less conspicuous than in the Bornean form
of _T. napu_. Legs, except white area on inner side, like back
but slightly brighter and less shaded with black. Entire dorsal
and lateral surface of neck clear black to base of hairs, a few
ochraceous specks visible on close scrutiny, particularly at sides
near throat markings. On shoulders this black area fades abruptly
into color of back; on head it passes forward between ears and
eyes nearly to muzzle. Cheek, region between eye and ear, and line
extending forward over eye to muzzle and separating black median
stripe from naked loral space, ochraceous, essentially like that of
legs. Throat markings as in _Tragulus nigricans_, but white stripes
apparently even more restricted. Region occupied by posterior white
stripes black, continuous with that of neck, but distinctly speckled
with ochraceous. Region occupied by anterior stripes ochraceous,
continuous with that of cheeks and somewhat less pure and more
speckled with black. White stripes as follows: (_a_) One on each
side of naked chin area. These are about 50 mm. in length and never
more than 10 mm. in breadth, but occasionally so narrow as to break
up into two or more spots. They are separated from naked chin patch
by an ochraceous stripe slightly broader than the white. Chin area
narrowly and discontinuously bordered with white, especially in
front. (_b_) Two posterior lateral stripes varying from 50 mm. to
80 mm. in length, and never more than 12 mm. wide. They are strongly
convergent anteriorly, and sometimes nearly joined together in front
by a median spot. These white stripes are always separated from the
anterior stripes by an ochraceous median area varying from 10 mm. to
25 mm. in width. (_c_) A median stripe lying between the posterior
lateral stripes. Posteriorly this stripe is as wide as the lateral
stripes, but it quickly narrows and sometimes disappears at middle
of latter, though usually represented again by the median spot
already referred to. In none of the specimens is this stripe broad
and continuous anteriorly to level of front of lateral stripes as in
Nehring's figure of the throat markings of _T. nigricans_.[6] Collar
narrow, ochraceous grizzled with black. It is seldom more than 25
mm. in width; therefore much narrower than indicated by Nehring's
figure. Behind the collar is a whitish gray median area continuous