_THE DEER TRIBE._
BY H. A. BRYDEN.
Deer represent as a family the non-domesticated class of ruminants.
Generally speaking, the males are distinguished by antlers, which are shed
periodically, usually once a year, and again renewed. Comprising as it does
some of the noblest mammals to be found on the face of the earth, this
large and important tribe is to be found distributed over a large portion
of the world's surface, from the Arctic North, the home of the wild
reindeer, to Patagonia, in Southern South America. Deer are, however, not
found in the continent of Africa south of the Sahara, nor in Madagascar or
Australia. They are not indigenous to New Zealand; but the red deer,
introduced there some years ago for purposes of sport, have thriven
wonderfully well, and are now completely acclimatised.
From the earliest times deer, especially those species known as the true or
typical deer, of which red deer may be said to be a type, have been animals
of considerable importance to mankind. Their flesh has been always eagerly
sought after; deer-skin is still, even in these days of high civilisation,
useful for many purposes; and the antlers are almost equally in request.
It is more than probable that, in the vast and still little-explored
regions of Central, East, and Northern Asia, new species of deer remain to
be discovered. At the present time there are known to exist, in various
parts of the world, close on a hundred species and varieties.
Within the space allotted to these animals it is, of course, manifestly
impossible to notice all these in anything like detail. Many of the
varieties or sub-species closely resemble one another, so much so that the
differences between them are only apparent to the eyes of naturalists or
acute observers.
THE REINDEER.
[Illustration: _Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd._] [_Dundee._
SCANDINAVIAN REINDEER.
The spreading hoofs enable the reindeer to traverse snow and swamps without
sinking.]
REINDEER are distinguished from all other kinds of deer by the fact that
antlers are borne by both males and females. The antlers, as may be seen by
the illustration, differ materially from those of the red deer, elk, and
other species; the brow-tines, especially, are often much palmated. These
animals are heavily built, short-legged, and, as beseems dwellers in a
snowy habitat, provided with round, short, and spreading hoofs. For ages
reindeer have been domesticated by the Lapps of Scandinavia, the Samoyeds,
and other primitive races of Northern Europe and Asia. Trained to harness,
and drawing a sledge, they traverse long distances, while their milk,
flesh, and hides are of great importance to the people who keep them. The
Common or SCANDINAVIAN REINDEER ranges from Norway through Northern Europe
into Asia, though how far eastward is not yet accurately determined. It is
interesting to note that these animals were once denizens of Britain, and
so lately as the twelfth century the Jarls of Orkney are believed to have
been in the habit of crossing to the mainland for the purpose of hunting
them in the wilds of Caithness. Wild reindeer are still to be found in the
remoter parts of Norway, though, from much persecution, they are becoming
comparatively scarce in most parts of the country.
[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._
WOODLAND CARIBOU.
This specimen has shed its horns, which are of the general type of those of
the Scandinavian race.]
Mr. Abel Chapman, in his "Wild Norway," gives some excellent accounts of
sport with these fine deer. Speaking of a good herd of twenty-one,
discovered in Ryfylke, he says: "Most of the deer were lying down, but both
the big stags stood upright in dreamy, inert postures.... I now fully
realised what a truly magnificent animal I had before me. Both in body and
horn he was a giant, and his coat was no less remarkable; the neck was pure
white, and beneath it a shaggy mane hung down a foot in length. This white
neck was set off by the dark head in front and the rich glossy brown of his
robe behind. Besides this the contrasting black and white bars on flanks
and stern were conspicuously clean-cut and defined, and the long and
massive antlers showed a splendid recurved sweep, surmounted by branch-like
tines, all clean." For three long, agonising hours the stalker watched this
noble prize, and then one of those lucky chances which occasionally gladden
the hunter's heart occurred, and the reindeer approached within a hundred
yards. "Half-a-dozen forward steps, and his white neck and dark shoulder
were beautifully exposed. Already, ere his head had appeared, the rifle had
been shifted over, and now the foresight dwelt lovingly on a thrice-refined
aim. The .450 bullet struck to an inch, just where the shaggy mane joined
the brown shoulder. The beast winced all over, but neither moved nor fell.
A moment's survey, and I knew by the swaying of his head that he was mine."
The weight of this big reindeer stag was estimated at 450 lbs., or 32
stone. He carried twenty-five points to his antlers, which measured 51
inches in extreme length.
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
IMMATURE SCANDINAVIAN ELK.
The largest of all the Deer Tribe, and has antlers of an altogether
abnormal type.]
In addition to the common or Scandinavian reindeer, there are closely
allied races, showing, however, slightly varying characteristics, found in
Spitzbergen and Greenland. In North America, where only wild reindeer are
found, these animals are known as CARIBOU. Here several sub-species are
known: among them, the NEWFOUNDLAND CARIBOU; the WOODLAND CARIBOU of the
mainland; and the BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU, found in the arctic wastes of the
Far North-west, towards the Polar Ocean.
THE ELK, OR MOOSE.
[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._
FEMALE AMERICAN ELK, OR MOOSE.
The elk of the two hemispheres are so alike that they cannot be regarded as
anything more than races of a single species.]
This gigantic creature, the largest of all the numerous tribe of deer, is
found, in the Old World, in Northern Europe, Siberia, and Northern China.
Its range extends--for there is no real distinction between the elk of the
Old and the New Worlds--to Northern America, where it is always known as
the MOOSE. Its transatlantic habitat runs from the mouth of the Mackenzie
River to the St. Lawrence. Wherever its abiding-place may be, it will be
found that the elk is essentially a forest-loving creature, partial to the
loneliest stretches of the woods and dreary marshes. Its fleshy, bulbous,
prehensile muzzle shows plainly that the elk is a browsing beast, and not a
grazing animal, like most other deer. The male carries vast palmated horns,
measuring sometimes as much as 6 feet 1¼ inch in span from tip to tip; this
measurement is from an American specimen in the possession of the Duke of
Westminster. A fine Scandinavian bull will measure 18 hands at the withers
and weigh as much as 90 stone, while the North American elk is said to
attain as much as 1,400 lbs. In colour the elk is a dark brownish grey; the
neck, body, and tail are short; while the animal stands very high upon the
legs. Under the throat of the male hangs a singular appendage, a sort of
tassel of hair and skin, known to American hunters as the "bell." The build
of the elk is clumsy, and the mighty beast entirely lacks the grace
characteristic of so many others of the deer kind. It has in truth a
strangely primeval, old-world aspect, and seems rather to belong to
prehistoric ages than to modern times.
In Scandinavia elk are hunted usually in two ways--by driving, or with a
trained dog held in leash. In the royal forests of Sweden great bags are
made at these drives; and in the year 1885, when a great hunt was got up
for the present King of England, forty-nine elk were slain. Except during
the rutting-season these titanic deer are extremely shy and suspicious
creatures, and the greatest precautions have to be taken in hunting them.
In Canada moose are often shot during the rutting-season by "calling," a
rude horn of birch-bark being used, with which the hunter simulates the
weird, hoarse roar of the animals, as they call to one another, or
challenge in the primeval woodlands and morasses of the wild North.
Still-hunting or tracking--spooring, as it would be called in South
Africa--is another and extremely fatiguing method; while yet another mode
of hunting is that practised by Indian and half-breed hunters in winter,
when, the sportsman being mounted on snow-shoes, the moose is followed, run
into and shot in deep snow. In this sport the hunter has much the better of
it. The moose, with its vast weight and sharp hoofs, plunges through the
frozen snow-crust, over which the snow-shoes carry the biped easily enough,
and, becoming presently exhausted, is shot without much difficulty. Elk
usually run at a steady, slinging trot, and traverse extraordinary
distances, apparently with little fatigue.
RED DEER.
[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._
PARK RED DEER.
The typical representative of the entire Deer Tribe.]
We come now to a group of what are called typical deer, the RED DEER, found
in various parts of the world. The red deer, which once roamed over much of
Britain, is now in the wild state confined chiefly to the Highlands of
Scotland, Exmoor, part of County Kerry in Ireland, and various islands on
the west coast of Scotland. A good male specimen will stand about 4 feet or
a little less at the shoulder, carry antlers bearing twelve or fourteen
points, and weigh from 10 to 20 stone clean--that is, with the heart,
liver, and lungs taken out. The woodland stags of Perthshire, however, not
infrequently reach 25 stone, while Mr. J. G. Millais mentions a stag,
killed by Colonel the Hon. Alastair Fraser at Beaufort, Inverness-shire,
which scaled 30 stone 2 lbs. clean. This seems to be the heaviest British
wild stag of modern times. The summer coat is short, shining, and reddish
brown in hue; in winter the pelage is thicker and rougher and greyish brown
in colour. Stalking the red deer stag in its native fastnesses is beyond
all doubt the finest wild sport now left to the inhabitants of these
islands.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._
AN ASIATIC WAPITI.
All the races of the wapiti are easily recognisable by the large fourth
tine of the antlers and the short tail.]
Mr. J. G. Millais, author of "British Deer and their Horns" and other
works, himself a first-rate sportsman in many parts of the world, compares
the style of shooting red deer in vogue forty or fifty years ago with that
obtaining in the Highlands at the present day. "A stalker in Black Mount,
Argyllshire," he says, "told me of a typical day's sport in which he took
part some forty years ago. Fox Maule and Sir Edwin Landseer were the two
rifles (they frequently stalked in pairs at that time), and, on the side of
Clashven, Peter Robertson, the head forester, brought them within eighty
yards of two exceptionally fine stags. Maule fired and missed, as did also
Sir Edwin as the stags moved away; then, on a signal from Robertson. Peter
McColl, the gillie, slipped the hounds--the two best ever owned by the late
Marquis of Breadalbane, and whose portraits are still preserved in the
famous picture of 'The Deer Drive'--and away they went in hot pursuit of
the deer. An end-on chase now ensued, the line taken being due east down
the great glen towards Loch Dochart, and at last the stalkers were brought
to a standstill, being fairly exhausted both in wind and limb. At this
moment, however, four dark spots, like small rocks, standing out at the
point of a little promontory in the lake, attracted their attention, and,
on drawing nearer, they saw, to their surprise, each of the big stags being
held at bay by a gallant hound. A couple of shots then settled the
business, and so ended what was then considered a grand day's sport. No
doubt it was most exciting to see the struggle of bone and sinew between
two such noble quadrupeds, but it was not rifle-shooting. To-day the
gallant but disturbing deer-hound has given place to the cunning and
obedient collie, and the success of the stalker depends, for the most part,
on the accuracy of his rifle and his skill in using it."
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
AMERICAN WAPITI.
The giant deer of the Rocky Mountains, formerly very plentiful, now
scarce.]
Here are a couple of sketches of modern stalking taken from Mr. Millais'
own diary:--
"_Wednesday, October 4th._--Started for the big corrie with McColl, and saw
nothing till we got to the Eagle Hill. On this were three stags and about
twenty hinds, the property of a magnificent fellow carrying one of the best
heads I have ever seen on Black Mount. For some time McColl thought he was
just a bit too good to shoot, for the very best in this forest are
generally left for stock purposes. Finding, however, that, he was not Royal
[a twelve-pointer], my companion agreed to a shot--that is, if he got
within shooting distance, which was not too likely, the Eagle Hill being
one of those queer places where back eddies are carried down from almost
every 'airt' from which the wind is blowing. Luck is apparently entirely my
way this week, so far at any rate. The big stag was very 'kittle,'
frequently roaring and keeping his hinds moving before him along the
hillside, in the direction of another corrie running at right angles, the
entrance to which, if reached, would checkmate us. A quick, stiff climb,
and a clashing piece of stalking on the part of McColl, brought us in front
of the herd only just in time, for I had hardly got into position when the
first few hinds moved past a hundred yards below us. They were very uneasy
and highly suspicious, but fortunately did not stop; and in another moment,
to my joy, the big stag came slowly behind them, and offered a fair
broadside in the very spot where I should have wished him to stand. The
bullet took him through the ribs, certainly a trifle too far back, but he
gave in at once, and rolled 150 yards down the hill, fortunately without
hurting his horns. A really fine Highland stag in his prime; weight, 16
stone 2 lbs., with a good wild head of ten points, and good cups on the
top."
"_Thursday, October 5th._--We negotiated the stiff climb, and McLeish,
leaving me behind a rock on the summit, returned some distance to signal
directions to the pony-man. He came back just as the stag returned roaring
down the pass he had ascended; and as the mist was blotting out the
landscape, I feared he would come right on to us without being seen, but,
as luck would have it, he stopped and recommenced bellowing within seventy
yards. I never heard a stag make such a row, but nothing of him could we
see. It was most exciting, lying flat on a slab of rock, hoping devoutly
that the mist would rise, if only for a few seconds. The tension had grown
extreme, when there was a momentary lift in the gloom, and I made out the
dim forms of the deer just as a big hind, which I had not noticed,
'bruached' loudly within twenty yards of us. The outline of the stag was
barely visible when, after carefully aiming, I pressed the trigger, knowing
that a moment later there would be no second chance. At the shot the deer
at once disappeared, but I felt sure I had hit him, and, on following the
tracks for some fifty yards, there he lay as dead as a door-nail. Weight,
13 stone 6 lbs.; a wild head of ten points; thin, and evidently that of a
deer on the decline."
[Illustration: _Photo by Mr. W. Rau_] [_Philadelphia._
AMERICAN WAPITI.
The dark head, fore-quarters, and under-parts, so distinctive of the
wapiti, are here well displayed.]
In England the wild red deer are hunted with stag-hounds on Exmoor, and
first-rate sport is obtained on the great moorlands of Somerset and Devon.
During the last fifty years the deer have much increased in numbers, and no
less than three packs--the Devon and Somerset, Sir John Heathcoat-Amory's,
and Mr. Peter Ormrod's--are now engaged in hunting them. In the five years
ending in 1892, 276 deer were killed by the Devon and Somerset hounds.
The young of the red deer are in Europe usually dropped in June. The fawn
is dexterously concealed by the hind amid the heather, and is left in
concealment during the day. Scrope, a great authority on these animals,
states that the hind induces her fawn to lie down by pressure of the nose:
"It will never stir or lift up its head the whole of the day, unless you
come right upon it, as I have often done; it lies like a dog, with its nose
to its tail. The hind, however, although she often separates herself from
the young fawn, does not lose sight of its welfare, but remains at a
distance to windward, and goes to its succour in case of an attack of the
wild cat or fox, or any other powerful vermin."
On the Continent far finer examples of red deer are to be found than in the
British Isles, and the antlers and records of weights preserved at the
Castle of Moritzburg in Saxony, and elsewhere, show that two hundred years
ago the stags of Germany were far superior even to those of the present
day, which are much heavier and afford finer trophies than do the Highland
red deer. Even in Germany, however, marked deterioration has taken place
during the last two centuries. A stag, for example, killed by the Elector
of Saxony in 1646 weighed not less than 61 stone 11 lbs.; while from the
Elector's records between 1611 and 1656 it appears that 59 stags exceeded
56 stone, 651 exceeded 48 stone, 2,679 exceeded 40 stone, and 4,139
exceeded 32 stone. These figures are given by Mr. W. A. Baillie-Grohman, a
distinguished sportsman, in a very interesting chapter contributed to the
"Big Game Shooting" volumes of the Badminton Library.
[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._
AMERICAN WAPITI.
In the United States this species is universally miscalled the Elk.]
This deterioration among the red deer of the forests of Central and
Northern Europe is, however, not traceable among the red deer of the wild
mountainous regions of Austria-Hungary and South-eastern Europe. Here, at
the present day, stags of enormous size and weight are still to be found.
In the Carpathian Alps, for example, red deer stags are still to be shot
scaling more than 40 stone (clean) in weight. Climate and feeding have, of
course, much to do with the weight of stags and the size and beauty of
their antlers. The Carpathian stags have enormous range, rich food, and, as
Mr. Baillie-Grohman points out, are suffered during the summer to "make
undisturbed raids upon the rich agricultural valleys ... the feudal sway
exercised by the great territorial magnates permitting the deer to trespass
upon the crops with impunity, and thus grow to be the lustiest of their
race."
In addition to the British Islands, the red deer of Europe is found on the
island of Hitteren on the western coast of Norway, in the south of Sweden,
and in Germany, Russia, France, Spain, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Greece.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._
ALTAI WAPITI.
This is one of several Asiatic forms of the wapiti.]
In Corsica and Sardinia a local and smaller race is found, probably closely
allied to the stag of North Africa. The BARBARY STAG is somewhat smaller
than its first cousin of Europe, and carries antlers which usually lack the
second, or bez, tine. The colour of this stag is "a dark sepia-brown, a
little lighter and greyer on the back. Faint yellowish spots can
occasionally be distinguished on the fur in the adults," says Sir Harry
Johnston. The hinds are of the same colour as the stags, but lack the grey
tint on the back. These fine deer are found in Algeria and Tunis, their
habitat being chiefly in pine and cork forests. They are found also in
parts of Morocco, near the frontiers of Algeria and Tunis, where their
range extends from near the Mediterranean to the verge of the Sahara
Desert. Formerly the Barbary stag was hunted by the Arabs on horseback by
the aid of greyhounds. In Tunis, where it is protected by the French, it is
now fairly abundant.
THE MARAL AND KASHMIR STAG.
The CASPIAN RED DEER, or MARAL, is a magnificent sub-species, incomparably
the finest representative of the red deer species. Standing about 4 feet 6
inches at the shoulder, a good stag will weigh as much as 40 stone clean,
in exceptional specimens probably a good deal more. The range of this noble
beast includes the Caspian provinces of North Persia, Transcaucasia, the
Caucasus, and the Crimea. There can be little doubt that the great stags
shot in the Galician Carpathians are Caspian red deer, and not the ordinary
red deer of Western Europe. The red deer of Turkey is, too, no doubt
referable to this sub-species.
Continuing our survey of typical deer, we come to the KASHMIR STAG, which
is a magnificent beast, standing as much as 4 feet 4 inches at the
shoulder, and carrying antlers approaching the red deer type, which measure
in fine specimens from 45 to 48 inches. The Kashmir stag, often miscalled
Barasingh by Indian sportsmen, makes its home in the forest regions of the
north side of the Kashmir Valley, ranging chiefly on altitudes of from
5,000 to 12,000 feet. The summer coat is rufous; in winter the pelage is of
a darkish brown. The Yarkand stag is an apparently allied species, found in
the forests bordering on the Yarkand or Tarim River.
Two more stags close the list of those Asiatic deer which approximate more
or less closely to the red deer type. These are the SHOU, or SIKHIM STAG,
and THOROLD'S DEER, concerning neither of which animals is much known at
present. The shou, of which only the head has yet been brought to England,
appears to be a very large stag, in size approximating to the gigantic
wapiti. The antlers are very large, extending to as much as 55 inches over
the outer curve. So far as is at present known, this great deer is found in
the country "north of Bhutan and the valley eastward of Chumbi, which
drains northward into the Sangpo." No European hunter, it is believed, has
ever yet levelled a rifle or even set eyes on this noble deer.
In England Thorold's deer is known from two specimens shot by Dr. W. G.
Thorold, during a journey across Tibet, at an elevation of about 13,500
feet. The high Tibetan plateau and other adjacent parts of Central Asia
form the habitat of this species. In size Thorold's deer is about on a
level with the Kashmir stag: the coat is dark brown; the antlers are
distinctive in their backward curve, in the lack of the bez tine, and their
flattened appearance. The muzzle and chin are pure white, as is the inner
surface of the ears.
WAPITI.
Wapiti are the giants of the red deer group, carrying enormous antlers, and
attaining as much as 1,000 lbs. in weight. The true wapiti of North
America, known in that country chiefly by the local name of Elk, carry by
far the finest and the heaviest heads of any of the typical deer kind. Mr.
Rowland Ward, in his book "Records of Big Game," gives the length of
antlers of a twelve-pointer shot in the Olympic Mountains, Washington
State, as 70 inches over the outer curve; while another specimen, also a
twelve-pointer, taken from a wapiti shot in Wyoming, measures 66 inches.
Occasional heads bear as many as 17, 19, and even 20 tines, or points, but
from 12 to 14 points are more usual in fine average heads. A good stag will
stand from 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 8 inches at the shoulder.
Magnificently shaped, splendid in form and bearing, as in the size of its
antlers, a more lordly creature than the stag wapiti does not pace the
earth.
[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._
MANCHURIAN WAPITI CALLING.
The great size of the fourth tine, characteristic of the species, is very
noticeable.]
"The wapiti," says Colonel Theodore Roosevelt in "The Encyclopedia of
Sport," "is highly polygamous, and during the rut the master bulls gather
great harems about them and do fierce battle with one another, while the
weaker bulls are driven off by themselves. At this time the bulls are
comparatively easy to approach, because they are very noisy, incessantly
challenging one another by night and day. Settlers and hunters usually
speak of their challenge as 'whistling,' but this is a very inadequate
description. The challenge consists of several notes, first rising and then
falling. Heard near by, especially among unattractive surroundings, it is
not particularly impressive, varying in tone from a squeal to a roar, and
ending with grunts; but at a little distance it is one of the most musical
sounds in nature, sounding like some beautiful wind instrument. Nothing
makes the heart of a hunter leap and thrill like the challenge of a wapiti
bull, as it comes pealing down under the great archways of the mountain
pines, through the still, frosty, fall weather; all the more if it be at
night, under the full moon, and if there is light snow on the ground."
Wapiti in North America have suffered much from persecution, and it is now
difficult indeed to secure fine heads like those that fell to hunters
twenty or thirty years since. Twelve or fifteen years ago, during
winter-time, bands of wapiti in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana were to be
seen gathered together to the number of thousands; now a score or two is
the rule, where these animals are to be found at all. However, by those who
know where to go for their game, and can hold a rifle straight, wapiti are
still to be obtained.
Mr. Selous, in his "Sport and Travel, East and West," thus describes a
recent experience: "After a few seconds of agonising suspense a
noble-looking monarch of the mountains walked slowly from the shelter of
the pine-trees and followed the ladies of his household, who had now halted
about fifty yards down the slope, passing in quite open ground not more
than sixty or seventy yards below me; and as the stag followed them, I
waited until he came past, though he had been well within shot ever since
he came out from among the trees. As he did not know where I was, and
probably had not the least idea why the hinds had trotted off, he came
along very leisurely, looking magnificent; for although his antlers were
but moderate in size, there were no others of larger proportions near to
dwarf them, and even a very ordinary wapiti stag, seen at short range in
its native wilds, is a glorious sight to look upon. I let him get a little
past me, and then put one of Holland's peg-bullets just behind his
shoulder, low down. I saw by the convulsive rush forwards that he made that
he was struck through the heart, but I did not expect so large an animal to
collapse so quickly. He had not gone twenty paces after being hit, when he
fell suddenly right on to the prostrate stem of a large tree, which did
not, however, stop him, as the impetus of his fall carried him over it, and
he then went sliding at a terrific pace down the steep snow-slope below,
and disappeared from sight almost immediately." The dead wapiti was
ultimately found 500 feet below, with the antlers, strangely enough,
scarcely injured, but the body and quarters much bruised by the fall. He
was "a very pretty fourteen-pointer of moderate size."
[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._
AN AXIS HIND.
A species spotted at all seasons.]
A fight between two wapiti stags is a terrific encounter. "With heads
lowered between their fore feet," says Mr. Perry, "the two adversaries walk
around, waiting for an opening; and when one is thrown off his guard, the
other makes a savage rush; but his opponent instantly recovers, counters
the charge, and as they rush together the antlers strike each other with
such terrific force that the report can be heard for a long distance.
Slowly retreating, bellowing, grumbling, and grinding their teeth in a
paroxysm of rage, they again circle round.... The challenging wapiti
usually does most of the offensive fighting until he finds (if such be the
case) that he is the weaker; then he suddenly retires, bellowing as he
goes." In the old days the Indians of North America were in the habit of
organising great wapiti drives. Entire herds were surrounded by a ring of
mounted men, and forced over precipices.
[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._
A STAG AXIS, OR INDIAN SPOTTED DEER.
One of the most common animals in an Indian jungle scene.]
[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus_] [_New York._
A SPOTTED ORIENTAL DEER.
One of the numerous Philippine species.]
In recent years it has been discovered that wapiti are also denizens of
certain parts of Asia. At least two sub-species--the ALTAI WAPITI and the
MANCHURIAN WAPITI--have thus far been identified. The former, sometimes
known as the Thian-shan Stag, is found in the forests of the Altai and
Thian-shan Mountains, west of the Mongolian Desert. Compared with its
American congener, it is inferior in stature, has shorter legs, a longer
body, and proportionately larger antlers, though none have yet approached
those of the longest American specimens. These splendid stags, of which
living specimens have been maintained by the Duke of Bedford at Woburn, are
captured alive by the Altai natives, and kept in domestication for the sake
of their antlers, which are sold in China for purposes of medicine at as
much as the value of £10 apiece.
The MANCHURIAN WAPITI, or LUEHDORF'S STAG, is a well-marked local race of
the wapiti, which turns reddish in summer. It has received several names,
and is well characterised by the form of its antlers. It has been kept
alive in the Duke of Bedford's park at Woburn Abbey. It seems probable that
the Siberian stags will eventually be referred to the wapiti group.
BOKHARA DEER.
A fine deer from Russian Turkestan is at present known as the BOKHARA DEER.
It is said to resemble the shou of Northern Bhutan more than any other
species, and, standing about 4 feet at the shoulder, is of an ashen-grey
colour, tinged with yellow. A living specimen has been exhibited at Moscow,
and it is believed that specimens in the collection of the Duke of Bedford
belong to this form.
SIKAS.
The SIKAS, as typified by the JAPANESE DEER, are a group of deer of
moderate size, distinguished from the preceding assemblage by antlers of
simpler type, each antler having usually four points, and lacking the
second, or bez tine. The coat is spotted with white, and white markings
appear about the tail. The tail is much longer than in the red deer group.
The Japanese deer, found in Japan and North China, is a beautiful creature,
somewhat smaller than the fallow deer of Europe, having a coat of brilliant
chestnut, thickly spotted with white in curious longitudinal markings. This
is the summer pelage; in winter the colour changes to dark brown, and the
spots mostly disappear. When in the velvet, the antlers are of a bright,
chestnut-red, with black tips, and at this season the bucks look their
handsomest. A good head measures from 26 to 31 inches, and carries usually
eight points.
The MANCHURIAN SIKA may be looked upon as a larger variety of the Japanese
deer, with a somewhat darker coat.
Another closely allied form is the FORMOSAN SIKA, which bears a rather
paler summer coat, and carries spots in its winter pelage. This deer is
found on the mountains of the island from which it takes its name. The few
antlers which have reached this country seem to indicate that in this
respect this deer is inferior to the other sikas. The longest pair yet
recorded measure not more than 19¾ inches.
The PEKIN SIKA, sometimes known as Dybowski's Deer, is considerably larger
in size than the rest of the group, standing well over 3 feet at the
shoulder. The horns are large and rugged, and measure as much as 27 inches
in length. The coat is thick and shaggy, and well adapted for life in a
harsh climate. The habitat of this species is North-eastern Manchuria and
the borders of Korea.
FALLOW DEER.
FALLOW DEER are, perhaps, to English people, the most familiar of all the
cervine race, forming as they do, in the semi-domesticated state, the
adornments of most of our parks. The flesh of this handsome deer furnishes
the well-known venison of this country, and is perhaps the best-tasted of
all deer-meat. A good fallow buck stands about 3 feet at the shoulder, and
weighs (clean) about 150 lbs., though specimens have been shot weighing as
much as 204 lbs., but this is exceptional. The horns are strongly palmated.
Originally this deer was not indigenous to Britain, but is often said to
have been introduced by the Romans from Eastern Europe.
[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._
A YOUNG FALLOW BUCK OF THE BROWN BREED.
The favourite park-deer of England.]
The COMMON FALLOW DEER is found in the wild state in Spain, Portugal,
Greece, Austria, Rhodes, Sardinia, Asia Minor, and North Palestine. It is
doubtful whether, as has been stated, this deer ever existed in modern
times in the wild state in North Africa. This is a highly gregarious
species, delighting to move in considerable herds. In some parts of
Scotland fallow deer have reverted completely to the wild state, and afford
excellent sport. And even park-deer, once they are shot at, exhibit
extraordinary wariness and cunning, so much so that curious tricks and
disguises have often to be resorted to when a fat buck has to be shot for
venison.
The beautiful MESOPOTAMIAN FALLOW DEER, found in the mountains of Luristan,
in Mesopotamian Persia, is somewhat larger than the common species, while
its coat is much more brightly coloured. The antlers bear little
resemblance to those seen in the park-deer of this country, being far less
palmated and spreading, and more vertical.
The enormous horns of the extinct deer once known as IRISH ELK are now
considered by naturalists to be those of a gigantic species of fallow deer.
By the kindness of Mr. J. G. Millais, I am enabled to give the dimensions
of a pair of antlers of one of these wonderful beasts from his museum.
These antlers measure in spread, from tip to tip, 9 feet 4 inches; length
round inside of right horn, 6 feet; round left horn, 5 feet 8 inches,--a
marvellous trophy, truly. This specimen was dug up in County Waterford.
These colossal fallow deer, which roamed the wastes of Ireland in
prehistoric times, must have afforded fairly exciting sport to the feebly
armed human beings who then existed.
THE SAMBAR, OR RUSINE DEER.
[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._
A SAMBAR STAG.
The only Indian deer of which the fawns are unspotted.]
SAMBAR may be shortly described as large deer, having rough, shaggy coats,
and big, rugged antlers of simple type, usually displaying but three tines.
They belong to the group known as Typical Deer, although they are but
distantly connected with the red deer. The colour of the coat is usually
dark umber-brown, marked with chestnut about the rump and under-parts. The
well-known sambar of India stands as much as 5 feet 4 inches at the
withers, and weighs, before being cleaned, some 600 lbs. The longest pair
of antlers yet recorded (Rowland Ward's "Records of Big Game") measure 48
inches in length over the outer curve. Usually to be found among jungly,
wooded hills and mountains in many parts of India and Ceylon, this fine
stag affords first-rate sport, and is much sought after by shikaris. It is
to be met with in small troops of from four to a dozen, or singly, while
during the rutting-season the animals rove in more considerable herds. In
jungle and thickly forested regions it is a hard matter to come up with the
sambar on foot, and it is there usually shot from elephant-back, by the aid
of beaters. In more open hill country it affords good stalking. In Ceylon
it is hunted with hounds, and yields in this way also capital sport. These
animals seem to revel in heat, and love to shelter themselves in hot,
stifling valleys; they drink only once in two or three days. It is a
noticeable feature in connection with the antlers of the sambar that they
are not invariably shed annually, as with most of the deer kind. In Ceylon,
according to Sir Samuel Baker, they are shed "with great irregularity every
third or fourth year."
[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._
FORMOSAN SIKA STAG.
Like its Japanese kindred, this deer is spotted only in summer.]
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
JAVAN RUSA STAG.
This deer is a near relative of sambur, but has a somewhat different type
of antler.]
Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Heber Percy thus writes concerning the sambar,
or sambur: "Compared with the Kashmir stag, red deer, or wapiti, he looks
an ugly, coarse, underbred brute.... As the sambur is almost entirely
nocturnal in its habits, it is most commonly shot in drives, and in many
places it is almost impossible to obtain sambur otherwise; but where it can
be managed, stalking is, of course, far better fun. The sportsman should be
on his ground just before daylight, and work slowly through the forest at
the edge of the feeding-grounds, taking the bottom of the hill if there are
crops on the plain below, or, failing these, the edges of the open glades
in the forest. Presently, if there are any sambur about, he will hear their
trumpet-like call, and, creeping on, see two or three dark forms moving
among the trees. In the grey of the morning it is often very hard to
distinguish a stag from a hind, and the writer has on several occasions had
to wait, after viewing the herd, till there was light enough to pick his
stag. Even in broad daylight it is difficult to judge the size of a stag's
horns as he stands motionless in the deep gloom of the forest, and what
little can be seen of them makes them look three times their real size--the
beam is so massive and the tines so long. The stag, too, is such a big
beast, standing nearly a hand taller than a barasingh, that if seen in the
open he looks as big as our Irish elk.... All driving should be done during
the heat of the day, when the animals are lying down; trying to drive when
beasts are naturally on the move generally results in the game leaving the
beat before the men are in their places. It may sound ridiculous for a man
to get up a tree in a sambur drive, but he is far more likely to get an
easy shot in this position, as the deer will neither see nor wind him; he
commands more ground, and he runs no risk of heading back the wary old hind
which often leads the herd, the chances being that if he is rightly posted
the herd will come right under his tree. Another advantage is that, his
fire being plunging, he can shoot all round without danger to the beaters.
In some parts of the Himalaya native shikaris declare that they often shoot
sambur by selecting a likely path and improvising a salt-lick, after the
fashion of Laplanders when they want to catch their tame reindeer." The
flesh of this deer is coarse and only moderately good eating.
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
HOG-DEER.
The smallest Indian representative of the sambar group.]
The MALAYAN SAMBAR, found from Assam, through Burma, to the Malay
Peninsula, and in Siam, Hainan, Borneo, and perhaps Sumatra, is slightly
less in size than its Indian prototype; the antlers vary somewhat, and are
shorter and stouter. The longest antlers yet recorded measure 30-7/8 inches
over the outer curve; these come from Borneo.
The FORMOSAN SAMBAR, sometimes called Swinhoe's Deer, is, again, closely
connected with the Malayan sambar, and may be looked upon as purely a local
race. The antlers appear to run smaller, the best recorded examples only
extending to 19¾ inches.
The LUZON SAMBAR (Philippines), a small sub-species, and the SZECHUAN
SAMBAR (North-west China), are also local races of the same species. This
last seems thus far to occupy the most northerly habitat of this group.
The BASILAN SAMBAR (Philippines) is, like its congener of Luzon, a small
sub-species, standing no more than from 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder, of
slender build, and with the hindquarters higher than the withers. The best
antlers yet recorded measure no more than 15½ inches. It is interesting to
note that as the island of Basilan is the smallest of the Philippines, so
is this sambar by far the smallest of its group. Its restricted habitat has
no doubt conduced, during long ages, to bring about this result.
The JAVAN SAMBAR, or RUSA, is a distinct species, found, as its name
implies, in the island of Java. The antlers are somewhat slender, but are,
next to those of the sambar of India, the longest of the group. The best
recorded pair measure 35½ inches, while another pair from Mauritius, where
this animal has been introduced, measure half an inch longer. This sambar
is smaller than the great sambar of India, and is about on a par with a
good red deer.
[Illustration: _Photo by The Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey._
FALLOW DEER.
There are two breeds of these beautiful deer in the British Isles; in the
one the summer coat is fawn dappled with white; in the other the colour is
dark brown at all seasons.]
The MOLUCCAN RUSA, a sub-species somewhat smaller than the Javan deer, is
found in Celebes and certain islands--Boru, Batchian, and Amboina--in the
Moluccan group; while the TIMOR RUSA, a closely allied congener, is found
on the islands of Timor, Semao, and Kambing. It is possible--nay, even
probable--that the Malays may, in times gone by, have introduced certain of
these rusine deer from one habitat to another. Such, at least, seems to be
the presumption among naturalists.
Dr. Guillemard, in that charming book "The Cruise of the Marchesa" (p.
357), gives some interesting information concerning Moluccan sambar in the
little-known island of Batchian. The inhabitants, "living for the most part
in the hills, kill and smoke the deer, and bring the meat into the villages
for sale. We were fortunate enough to assist at one of their hunts, in
which no other weapon than the spear is used. The side of a large ravine,
which had been partially cleared, and presented a confused jumble of fallen
trees and low brushwood, was assigned to us as our post, and, from the
extensive view it commanded, we were able later in the day to watch one run
almost from start to finish, although at first the sport appeared to be
successful in every direction but our own. At length a stag broke covert
about five hundred yards above us, and descended the slopes of the ravine,
but shortly afterwards turned and made for the forest again. He was met by
some of the hunters and driven back; but the dogs were now in full cry, and
pressed him hard, the hunters meanwhile racing at their utmost speed above,
in order to prevent his regaining the jungle. He now altered his direction,
and turned down once more towards us; but the fallen trees were so thick
that the dogs gained rapidly on him. He made one more effort for his life
by doubling, but it was too late, and in another minute the dogs and
hunters had fairly run him down."
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
YOUNG MALE SWAMP-DEER.
This species is the Barasingh of the natives of India. It is by no means
addicted to swampy localities.]
Deer were probably the earliest animals of the chase. Their bones are found
in the cave-dwellings of prehistoric man, and some of the earliest efforts
at drawing represent these animals.
OTHER TYPICAL DEER.
So numerous are the typical deer that they are not concluded even by the
long list of animals already enumerated. We proceed now to glance briefly
at the remainder of this important group.
The PHILIPPINE SPOTTED DEER, or PRINCE ALFRED'S DEER, is a small but
extremely handsome species, found in the islands of Samar and Leyte. The
height is under 30 inches; the colour very dark brown, spotted with white,
the under-parts, chin, and upper portion of the legs also white.
Another small cervine from the Philippine group is the CALAMIANES DEER, a
darkish brown beast, found in the island of that name.
The little BAVIAN DEER, another island-deer, from the Bavian group, between
Borneo and Java, should also be mentioned. Very little is known of the
habits of these three deer, and few specimens even of their skins and horns
have reached Europe.
[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._
INDIAN MUNTJAC.
Sometimes called the Barking-deer. The Indian species stands only 2 feet
high.]
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey._
YOUNG MALE CHINESE WATER-DEER.
One of the few deer which have no antlers.]
The HOG-DEER, allied to the last-named species, is an animal much better
known, found as it is in many parts of India and Burma. This handsome
little deer stands from 24 to 28 inches at the shoulder, and carries
antlers which average from 10 to 15 inches, and reach occasionally as much
as 21 or 22 inches--one specimen is recorded measuring 23¼ inches. It has a
yellowish or reddish-brown coat, minutely speckled with white. The summer
coat is paler and marked with white or palish-brown spots. This sturdy
little deer is found usually in long grass, and affords excellent
snap-shooting; it is also run into with dogs and speared by mounted
sportsmen. Major Fitz-Herbert thus describes a chase of this kind: "He [the
little stag] stood at bay, with head down and bristles raised like a
miniature red deer of Landseer's, but broke away when I came up. Once he
charged the bitch and knocked her over. He stood at bay two or three times,
but I could never get a spear into him for fear of hurting the dogs. At
last one time, as he was breaking bay, I came up, and he charged me with
such force as to break one of his horns clean off against the spear.
However, I struck him in the spine, and rolled him over." These little deer
have quite extraordinary pluck, and have been known even to charge and
wound a horse.
The CHITAL, or INDIAN SPOTTED DEER, often called the Axis Deer, a very
beautiful species, is the common jungle-stag of India. Standing about 3
feet or a little over, its lovely coat of bright reddish fawn is thickly
spotted with white at all seasons of the year. The horns are somewhat of
the sambar type, and measure as much as 36 or 38 inches in length in fine
specimens. These exquisite deer are often found in considerable herds, and
are a forest-loving species.
The SWAMP-DEER, the true Barasingh of India, as distinguished from the
Kashmir stag, which is often loosely called Barasingh, is a plain-loving
species, found in various parts of India, and characterised by handsome
antlers, bearing as many as from 10 to 16 points. This is a big, heavy
deer, standing nearly 4 feet at the withers, and weighing as much as 40
stone. The summer coat is light rufous, more or less spotted with white.
The winter coat is yellowish brown. A near relative to this deer is
SCHOMBURGK'S DEER, found in Northern Siam. The antlers of this stag are
most curiously forked and bifurcated.
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
MALE SIBERIAN ROE.
A very huge species of roebuck, with more rugged antlers than the
European-roe.]
The THAMIN, or ELD'S DEER, sometimes called the Brow-antlered Deer, is
another plains-deer, found chiefly from Manipur, through Burma, to the
Malay Peninsula. It is a good-sized species, standing about 3 feet 9 inches
at the shoulder, and weighing as much as 17 stone. The large antlers are
simple in type, the brow-tines curving down curiously over the forehead;
the tail is sharp, and the neck provided with a mane, the young being
spotted. A Siamese race of Eld's deer, found in Siam and Hainan, differs
somewhat from the Burmese type.
THE MUNTJACS.
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
FEMALE SIBERIAN ROE.
The absence of a tail, characteristic of all roes, is well shown.]
The MUNTJACS, or BARKING-DEER, are a group of small deer found in India,
Burma, and the Malay region. The INDIAN MUNTJAC stands about 2 feet in
height, and weighs some 28 lbs. The antlers, which average 5 or 6 inches in
length, bear two points--brow-tine and beam; the lower portions, or
pedicles, are curiously covered with hair, and the front of the face is
ribbed or ridged in V fashion. The general colour is a golden bay, the face
and limbs brown, and the lower parts white. The buck has sharp tusks in the
upper jaw, and, at a pinch, knows how to make use of them. A shy, stealthy
little creature, the muntjac loves dense cover, and the sportsman usually
obtains but a quick snapshot at this active and wary little deer as it
flashes across him much as does a bolting rabbit scuttling across a narrow
drive. Local Indian names for the barking-deer are Jungle-sheep, Red
Hog-deer, and Rib-faced Deer. Other muntjacs, varying somewhat from the
Indian form, are the HAIRY-FRONTED, the TENASSERIM, the TIBETAN, and the
CHINESE MUNTJACS.
TUFTED DEER.
Near relatives of the odd little muntjacs are the TUFTED DEER, of which two
species, the TIBETAN and MICHIE'S, are known to naturalists. The former,
found in Eastern Tibet, is about the size of the Indian muntjac, and has a
coat of dark chocolate-brown, curiously speckled on the face, neck, and
fore parts; the frontal tuft is nearly black. The antlers of the bucks of
both this and Michie's deer are extremely small, scarcely observable at a
first glance. Both species have long curving tusks projecting from the
upper jaw. Michie's tufted deer is of a greyish-black or iron-grey colour,
the face and neck dark grey. This animal is found in the reed-beds
bordering the Ningpo and other rivers in Eastern China.
[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._
SIBERIAN ROEBUCK.
Shows a magnificent pair of antlers.]
WATER-DEER.
The CHINESE WATER-DEER is another diminutive deer, standing no more than 20
inches at the shoulder. The body-colouring is pale rufous yellow, the head
and the back of the ears being darker in hue than the rest of the body. The
males carry no antlers. This tiny deer is found in North-east China, and is
well known on the islands of the Yangtse-kiang River. It loves thick cover,
especially reeds and long grass. So apt is it at concealment, that at
Woburn Abbey, where specimens are kept in a paddock of long tussocky grass,
hours may be spent without catching a glimpse of it. When disturbed, it
scurries off with short, quick leaps, very much after the manner of the
hare. The males of the Chinese deer, like the muntjacs, carry long curved
tusks in the upper jaw.
ROE DEER.
The EUROPEAN ROE, one of the handsomest of all the smaller deer, is still
happily found in many parts of Scotland. In England, where it had at one
time become well-nigh extinct, it has been here and there reintroduced with
some success. In Ireland it seems never to have been found. On the
Continent its range is wide, extending from the south of Sweden, through
France and Germany, to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Spain.
Found in Southern Russia and the Caucasus, it makes its way eastward as far
as North Palestine and Persia. The roe stands, in good adult specimens, 26
inches at the shoulder, and weighs about 60 lbs. The handsome and very
characteristic horns measure in good specimens from 10 to 13 inches over
the outer curve. The summer coat of this beautiful little deer is a bright
rufous brown; in winter a darker and duller brown, with a notable white
patch about the tail. The roe is always more or less a wood-loving
creature. In winter, especially, it seldom cares to quit the shelter of the
forest; in summer, however, the deer wander into more open localities. The
fawns are born generally towards the end of May, and two young are usually
produced. In the rutting-season the males fight savagely with one another.
[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._
FEMALE EUROPEAN ROE DEER.
Though common in the Scotch woods, these deer are rarely seen, keeping
close in cover all day.]
Mr. J. G. Millais gives an instance of a buck killed in one of these
desperate battles, in which one antler of the victor, having penetrated the
brain of the vanquished buck, had been broken clean off and remained
embedded in the skull, firmly wedged between the ears and the antlers.
"When wounded and brought to bay by a dog," says Mr. Millais, "a roebuck
brings into play both head and fore legs in his defence, using his horns as
described, and striking out with his legs, more as if to push off his
antagonist than to cause a forcible blow, for he gives no shock, as a hind
can. A doe, too, uses her fore legs and boxes with her head; and Mr. Steel,
who has had wide experience in roe-shooting, tells me that he has seen a
doe use her hind legs as well. The bark of the buck is loud, sharp, and
deep in tone, not unlike what a single call might be from an old collie. At
this season, too, the female gives an amorous call when she wishes the male
to come to her. If he is within hearing, he puts his neck out straight and
comes full speed to her. In Germany many roebucks are shot by alluring them
in this manner, and calls exactly imitating her voice are made for the
sportsman's use. One who has shot roe in this manner tells me it is most
exciting sport, for the buck comes straight for the sound at full speed,
and will only stop startled for a second when he discovers the fraud, and
as often as not he passes right on without giving a chance."
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
PÈRE DAVID'S DEER.
Nineteen of these deer are at Woburn Abbey; three are at Berlin. It is
believed that these are the only deer of this species in existence.]
Roe have a curious trick of chasing one another in play, and certain
roe-rings in the woods near Cawdor Castle, according to Mr. Millais,
demonstrate the fact that for ages the deer have been in the habit of
disporting themselves in these strange circles over the same pieces of
ground. The fact is very singular. "These curious circles are most used in
early summer; and Sutherland, the head keeper, tells me," says Mr. Millais,
"that hardly a morning passes without there being one or two roe playing in
the rings, and sometimes there is quite a party of them." Roe feed chiefly
on grass; they will eat also rowan (mountain-ash) berries, of which they
are especially fond, as well as turnips, grain, heather tops, and various
other roots and plants. Certain fungi, to which they are partial, they take
much pains to dig out with their sharp hoofs. "A roebuck that I once kept,"
says Mr. Millais, "was a good Scotchman, though he had a beastly temper,
for he liked nothing so much as oatmeal porridge." Roe make delightful
pets, but the bucks are not to be trusted after the third year. One of
these animals, supposed to be tame, has been known to kill a lad. In
Scotland and on the Continent roe deer are usually killed by driving, and
large bags are often made. Even within recent times, as many as sixty-five
roebucks and thirteen hinds have been shot at Beaufort, Lord Lovat's place
in Inverness-shire, during a day's driving. Shot-guns are employed for this
kind of sport. Stalking the roe is not so much pursued in Scotland as it
might be. It is a first-rate and most interesting form of sport, and in
certain districts the rifle might very well be substituted for the
shot-gun. "Roe-stalking," says Mr. Millais, "possesses many charms of its
own. In the first place, you can enjoy it at a season when there is no
other shooting going on; secondly, it takes you out in the early morning,
when all nature is full of life and beauty, and before the heat of the day
commences; and, thirdly, where the chase of the animal is systematically
conducted, as with red deer, the nature of the sport is everything that can
be desired. I would therefore put forward a plea that tenants and owners of
part-wood, part-forest lands in Argyll, Inverness, Ross, and Aberdeen
should turn their attention to stalking the roe in preference to killing
them during the usual winter wood-shoots." Roe deer are exceedingly
abundant in the great forest regions of Germany and Austria-Hungary. In
Austria alone, not including Hungary, during the year 1892, no less than
68,110 of these beautiful little deer were shot on various estates.
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
GROUP OF VIRGINIAN DEER (TWO BUCKS, FOUR DOES).
These are the common deer of the Eastern United States.]
The SIBERIAN ROE, found from the mountains of the Altai and Turkestan to
Siberia, is a somewhat larger species than its European cousin, measuring
from 28 to 34 inches at the shoulder. The antlers are also larger,
extending to as much as 16 and even 18 inches in measurement. As beseems
its habitat, the coat of this species is also thicker and rougher than is
the case with the European roe. Mr. Lydekker gives some interesting
particulars regarding this animal: "When the snows of November fall, the
roe themselves commence to collect in herds, which may number from 300 to
500 head, and soon after migrate southwards into Manchuria, whence they
return about the end of March or beginning of April. On the Ussuri, which
they must cross, they are at this season slaughtered in thousands by the
hunters, without regard to age or sex."
One other species, the MANCHURIAN ROE, found chiefly in mountainous
habitats, whence it never descends, should be noted. This is a smaller deer
than the Siberian roe, and approximates in size and length of horn to the
European race.
PÈRE DAVID'S DEER.
This remarkable animal, which apparently bears little or no resemblance to
any of the other deer of the Old World, has been placed by some naturalists
between the roe deer and the American deer. Its habitat is North China,
and, strangely enough, it seems to be unrecognised in the wild state, being
apparently only known in China in the Imperial Park at Pekin. This deer
approaches in size the red deer of Europe. The general colouring is greyish
brown, white about the eyes, ears, rump, and under-parts; the horns, which
lack the brow-tine, are very singular in shape, and measure as much as 32
inches in length; the tail is long, reaching to the hocks; the gait is
"lolloping" and mule-like. This is a marsh-loving species, and at Woburn
Abbey, where specimens are kept, "they may be seen wading far into the
lakes and even swimming in the deeper water."
[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus_] [_New York._
A MULE-DEER FAWN.
The large ears, from which the American species takes its name, are
noticeable even in the young.]
THE AMERICAN DEER.
Excepting always the elk, wapiti, and reindeer, which have been already
described, the deer of North and South America stand quite apart from those
of the Old World, and are placed in a genus of their own. Usually the tail
is long, and the brow-tine is always wanting. The most familiar species is
the common AMERICAN DEER, of which the VIRGINIAN or WHITE-TAILED DEER is
the type. This deer is found in varying forms in both continents, and was
regularly hunted by the ancient Mexicans with trained pumas.
The well-known VIRGINIAN DEER, found in Eastern North America, and believed
to range as far south as Louisiana, stands a trifle over 3 feet in height,
and weighs, clean, about 12 stone 7 lbs. The coloration is chestnut in
summer, bluish grey in winter. The antlers are of good size, and measure as
much as 27½ inches in length. As a sporting animal the white-tailed deer is
not popular. Mr. Clive Phillipps-Wolley describes him as "an exasperating
little beast." possessing every quality which a deer ought not to, from the
sportsman's point of view. "His haunts are river-bottoms, in choking,
blinding bush, and his habits are beastly. No one could ever expect to
stalk a white-tail; if you want to get one, you must crawl." Mr. Selous, in
1897, bagged one of these deer somewhat curiously. "He was coming," he
writes, "through the scrubby, rather open bush straight towards me in a
series of great leaps, rising, I think, quite four feet from the ground at
every bound. I stood absolutely still, thinking to fire at him just as he
jumped the stream and passed me. However, he came so straight to me that,
had he held his course, he must have jumped on to or over me. But when
little more than the width of the stream separated us--when he was
certainly not more than ten yards from me--he either saw or winded me, and,
without a moment's halt, made a prodigious leap sideways. I fired at him
when he was in the air, and I believe quite six feet above the ground." The
deer, an old buck with a good head, was afterwards picked up dead. In
different parts of America, as far south as Peru and Bolivia, various local
races of this deer are to be found.
TRUE'S DEER is a small species, not unlike the Virginian deer, found from
South Mexico to Costa Rica. The antlers are "in the form of simple spikes
directed backwards," and the body-colouring is in summer light chestnut, in
winter brownish grey. Little is at present known of this species.
The MULE-DEER, found in most parts of North America west of the Missouri,
as far south as Southern California, stands about 3 feet 3 inches at the
shoulder, and weighs over 17 stone clean. It carries good antlers,
measuring as much as 30 inches, and in colour is tawny red in summer,
brownish grey in winter. It is a far better sporting animal than the
sneaking white-tailed deer, and affords excellent stalking. These deer are
still abundant in many localities. Mr. Phillipps-Wolley writes thus of them
in "Big Game Shooting": "Some idea of the number of these deer in British
Columbia may be gathered from the fact that in one district I have had a
chance of killing seventeen separate stags in an hour's still hunt, whilst
one settler in the Similkameen country fed his hogs on deer-meat through a
whole winter." Four races of mule-deer--the TYPICAL, the CALIFORNIAN, the
LA PAZ, and the WESTERN DESERT race--have been identified by naturalists.
The BLACK-TAILED DEER is another well-known cervine of Western North
America, closely allied to the mule-deer, but distinguished from that
species by its inferior size and its much blacker tail. The antlers, as a
rule, run somewhat smaller than in the case of the mule-deer. This, too, is
a very abundant species, affording fairly good sport (considering its
liking for timber and dense bush) and excellent venison.
In South America are to be found several kinds of marsh-deer, of which the
best known is the handsome MARSH-DEER, having its range from Brazil to the
forest country of the Argentine Republic. Little is known of this and other
South American deer by British sportsmen. The marsh-deer is almost equal in
size to the red deer of Scotland, but somewhat less stout of build; the
colouring is bright chestnut in summer, brown in winter; the coat is long
and coarse, as befits a swamp-loving creature; the antlers usually display
ten points, and measure in fine specimens as much as 23 or 24 inches.
The PAMPAS-DEER, a species closely allied to the marsh-deer, is of small
size, standing about 2 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. The antlers, usually
three-pointed, measure no more than from 12 to 14 inches in fine specimens.
This deer is found from Brazil to Northern Patagonia.
[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus_] [_New York._
VIRGINIAN DEER.
This deer is the best-known representative of a species displaying
extraordinary local variation in size and colour.]
The PERUVIAN and CHILIAN GUEMALS are small deer, found on the high Andes,
and are somewhat inferior in size to the Virginian deer. The males carry
simple antlers forming a single fork, and measuring about 9 inches. The
coat, yellowish brown in hue, is coarse, thick, and brittle. The Chilian
guemal is found also in most parts of Patagonia; unlike its congener of
Peru, which delights in altitudes of from 14,000 to 16,000 feet, its
habitat lies chiefly in deep valleys, thick forest, and even the adjacent
plains, to which it resorts in winter.
[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._
MULE-DEER STAG.
Shows the large blackish-brown patch on the forehead, so distinctive of the
species.]
The BROCKETS, of which seven species are found in South and Central America
and Trinidad, are small deer, having spike-like antlers and tufted crowns.
The largest is the RED BROCKET, found in Guiana, Brazil, and Paraguay,
which stands 27 inches at the shoulder. The body-colouring is brownish red.
Like most of the group, this brocket is extremely shy; although fond of
dense covert, it is found also on open campos. The PYGMY BROCKET, a tiny
dark brown deerlet, less than 19 inches in height, found in Central Brazil,
is the smallest of these very small deer.
Two other diminutive deer, known as PUDUS, closely allied to the brockets,
are found in South America. These are the CHILIAN and ECUADOR PUDUS, of
which the former is no more than 13½ inches in height, the latter about 14
or 15 inches. Little is known of the history and life habits of these
charming little creatures, one of which, the Chilian species, has
occasionally been seen in the Zoological Society's Gardens.
THE MUSK-DEER.
This brief account of the deer of the world closes with the MUSK-DEER,
which differ from almost all others of their kind--the Chinese water-deer
being the sole exception--in the absence of antlers. In place of these
defensive and offensive weapons, nature has provided the musk-deer with
long canine tusks, projecting downwards from the upper jaw. The musk, from
which these curious deer take their name, is secreted during the
rutting-season--in the male only--in a pouch or gland contained in the skin
of the stomach.
The well-known HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER is a stout, heavily made deer for its
size, measuring 20 inches at the shoulder, about 2 inches higher at the
rump, and having a coat of coarse, brittle hair of a dark brown colour.
This musk-deer, which is nowadays by no means common, is found in the
forests of the Himalaya, Tibet, Siberia, and Western China, often at
altitudes of about 8,000 feet. These animals are extraordinary
mountaineers, active, daring, and apparently quite unconscious of or
indifferent to danger.
Another species, the KANSU MUSK-DEER, found in the province of Kansu,
China, has only been discovered within the last ten years. Concerning this
deer very little is at present known. In general characteristics it
resembles its more familiar congener of the Himalaya.
A WORD should be said upon the subject of the acclimatisation of various
members of the Deer Tribe in countries which are distant from their native
ground, but in which they are found to thrive and breed, some with greater
and some with less success. It will be seen that several of the
illustrations in this chapter are taken from deer living in natural
conditions at Woburn Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Bedford. Others were
photographed out of doors in zoological parks or private menageries. There
is a considerable degree of transferability among deer, not only among
those found in temperate or northern regions, but also those which inhabit
the tropical jungles of Southern India.
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
YOUNG MARSH-DEER.
A very elegant South American species. The main colour is a bright
chestnut, with the lower part of the legs black. The insides of the ears
are filled with white hair, looking like silver filigree.]
The Axis, or Chital Deer of India, is the most striking example. It lives
in the hot jungles, where it is the usual food of the tiger. Yet it has
been transferred to the forests of France and to English parks, and not
only lives, but breeds and increases in numbers. It is kept in this country
mainly at Woburn Abbey, and at Haggerston Castle, in Northumberland. In
France and Germany herds of axis deer have been maintained long enough to
observe a curious and noteworthy incident in acclimatisation. The axis deer
breeds naturally in October, after the Indian rainy season. This habit, if
persisted in in Europe, would expose the fawn to the rigours of the French
or English winter. Gradually and after some time the herds become irregular
in the time of reproduction, and later produce the fawns in June, at the
time which is best suited to their survival. This is a real instance of
acclimatisation.
The Japanese Deer, or Sika, was introduced into the park at Powerscourt by
Viscount Powerscourt some thirty years ago. Now it is one of the commonest
of recently introduced park-deer both in this country and in France. The
venison is excellent, and the herds are prolific. The stags are small, but
very strong, and at Powerscourt always get the better of the red deer
stags, and sometimes carry off their hinds. Wapiti Deer are kept in several
English parks, but so far the Sambar has proved a failure. Hog-deer and
Chinese Water-deer do very well both in England and France.
But it is in New Zealand that the best results have been obtained with
imported deer. The English Red Deer, some of which were originally sent out
by the Prince Consort, reinforced by some of the same species bred in
Australia, have become indigenous. They grow far faster and to a larger
size than those on the Scotch moors, and rival the great stags of the
Carpathians. The antlers also increase in size at an abnormal rate.
Licences are regularly issued to stalk and shoot these deer, which, like
the brown trout and the pheasant, are now among the stock of established
wild fauna. Moose and a few Sambar stags and herds have also been turned
out in New Zealand. The latter are said to be doing well.
There is no particular reason why the deer of cold countries should not be
interchanged; they seem to have the natural adaptability of oxen. But it is
not a little surprising that the species from warm climates should flourish
in damp and cold ones. The axis deer would be a real addition to the fauna
of the great European forests, if it is found that it survives the winter
snows without some form of artificial shelter. No one seems to have
considered the advisability of introducing the mule-deer into the Central
European woods. It is a much finer animal than the fallow buck, and the
venison is excellent. In those woods where fallow deer are preserved in a
wild state, as on many of the German Emperor's sporting-estates, the
mule-deer would be a far more ornamental animal. Few people know what
immense herds of red and fallow deer, as well as of wild boars, still
exist, under careful preservation, in the forests of the great German,
Austrian, and Russian princes, and in the royal forests of their respective
countries.
[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._
YOUNG HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER.
The male carries a pouch on the abdomen, from which the musk is obtained.
There are no antlers.]
When the Kaiser holds his great Court hunting-parties, to which the guests
all come dressed in the uniform of the Order of St. Hubert, as many as 200
deer are shot in a day. They are driven past the guns by beaters. After the
day's sport is over all the antlers are wreathed with boughs of spruce fir,
and the stags laid out like rabbits after an English battue.
It is rather surprising that only one species of deer has been entirely
domesticated--viz. the Reindeer. Deer's meat is as highly prized as that of
any other game, perhaps even more so. There is almost no part of the animal
which is not useful. The horns are valuable for knife-handles, and always
command a good price; they were prized even by prehistoric man, who
converted them into pick-axes, and made spear-heads and daggers of them.
The leather of the hide makes the softest and best of all hunting-garments:
the American Indian or trapper always wears, or used to wear, a deer-skin
shirt and deer-skin leggings, made as exquisitely soft as chamois leather
by a process known to the squaws. At the present time all the best gloves
are made of doe-skin; they are far the most costly of any gloves. Doe-skin
breeches are also a luxurious garment to ride in. For ornamental rugs few
skins beat those of the Dappled Deer, laid on the floor of some finely
furnished hall or room.
Thus we have the curious spectacle of the wild men of the Far North, the
Lapps and Ostiaks, taming and keeping in domestication great herds of deer,
milking them, using them as beasts of draught, and feeding on their flesh,
while far more civilised races in the South have not taken the trouble to
do so. The reason is not easy to surmise, unless it be that the idea of
making use of the Deer Tribe solely as beasts of the chase was so rooted in
the European ruling races, and their kings and nobles, that the
agriculturist never had a chance of trying to tame and use them for other
purposes. It is certain that during the Middle Ages law and custom made any
such attempt quite impossible. The deer were a valuable sporting asset, so
hedged round with an atmosphere of feudal privilege, that to convert them
into something useful to the common people would have been regarded as an
insult to the powers that were.
[Illustration: _Photo by Neurdein Frères_] [_Paris._
THE CAMEL-PLOUGH, USED IN ALGIERS.
Camels are often used for agricultural purposes in North Africa, Syria, and
India. In this particular case a special kind of plough is employed.]
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