S16 Dr Hibbert on the History of the Cervus Ev/ryceros, 



Cervi came from Britain, is evident by the remark of Julius 

 Capitolinus regarding a picture of the memorable wood of 

 Gordian, which existed in the house of Cneus Pompeius : 

 " Gordiani sylva memorabilis picta in domo rostrata Cn. 

 Pompeii picturas animalium diversas continet, inter quas sunt 

 cervi palmati ducenti mixtis Britannis." 



In reference to this quotation, I was lately rather anxious 

 to identify, among the numerous animals which were depicted 

 in the interior of the houses of Pompeii, a representation of 

 the ancient race of the Cervus euryceros. Some few delinea- 

 tions I certainly found of Cervi with gigantic horns, but they 

 were in general ill expressed ; the same inaccuracy, indeed, 

 prevailing in many other representations of individuals of this 

 genus. I think I was more successful in an ancient sculp- 

 tured monument, of which a drawing was taken for me while 

 I remained at Rome. 



From the exhibition of the Cervus euryceros at the Roman 

 games, it is most probable that the ancients, and more parti- 

 cularly Oppian, who lived in the reign of Caracalla, derived 

 their notion of the animal, which they have described as re- 

 sembling the stag in the length and thickness of its horns, and 

 the fallow-deer in the width of them ; as exceeding the B^CaX©- 

 in size, and in other respects forming the most eminent of the 

 tribe of EXa^o/. This was in fact the opinion of the indus- 

 trious and the learned Aldrovandus, who was nearly the con- 

 temporary of Sebastian Munster ; and as at this time skele- 

 ton heads of Cervi, possessing gigantic horns, were beginning 

 to attract the attention of naturalists, Aldrovandus, in study- 

 ing the character of some which had previously been submit- 

 ted to the observation of Bellonius, added " Suspicorque 

 cornua ilia ingentis magnitudinis, quae in gradibus et ascensu 

 Ambrosianae arcis conspiciuntur, non vulgaris damae, ut Bel- 

 lonius existimat, fuisse, sed vel alcis vel alterius."" Applying, 

 therefore, to the animal possessing these vast horns, the cha- 

 racter under which Oppian has described the most distinguish- 

 ed of known Cervi, he was the first to conceive of the same 

 under the appropriate title of the Cervus euryceros. 



But the third and last cause which may be mentioned as 



