8o JOHS. ANDERSEN 



We have several indications that the population may well have been larger 

 in 1959; a relatively larger number of roe-deer were seen; 650 observations 

 are a good deal above the usual number; the observer, who is a firm dis- 

 believer in statistics, has expressed the same idea in his own way: he handed 

 in this year's notebooks with the remark : 'I call it a lie if your calculations 

 say 100 deer once again'. 



The trapping technique, which we find fairly easy now, provides valuable 

 material ; on the other hand one must realize that upward of 75 per cent of 

 the population must be trapped in order to give a reliable estimate of the 

 percentage of fawns, and hence it follows that the value of analyses carried 

 out on an essentially unknown percentage of captures or animals killed 

 should not be taken at face value. This also applies to other species of deer ; 

 it is necessary to have at least a rough idea of the proportion trapped. 



As regards the method of making a large number of observations subse- 

 quent to trapping and marking, it seems to provide promising results 

 although here again it must be emphasized that a large body of data must be 

 obtained. The use of fawns only gives slightly inferior estimates. During this 

 winter we have tried to get some additional information by placing a spot of 

 white paint on the flanks of some of the older animals. We hoped the paint 

 would stay until the shedding period in May but have been disappointed, 

 instead, during the last half of this year's trapping period we are replacing 

 some of the red-green collars by others; which will complicate the observer's 

 job this spring. 



My window faces towards the wood, and I see deer every day ; I am often 

 in the wood; the Head gamekeeper lives in the southern part of the wood, 

 and he is working in the wood every day — and still we find it astounding 

 that it should harbour 100 deer or more. A few days ago I talked to the 

 gamekeeper and asked him to forget all about the kill in 1950; what would 

 his answer be if I postulated that the wood held twenty-five deer ? He admitted 

 quite willingly that it would be much easier for him to believe in twenty-five 

 than in 100 not to speak of even higher numbers. 



REFERENCES 



Andersen, J. (1953). Analysis of a Danish roe-deer population {Capreohis capreohis (L.)) based upon 

 the extermination of the total stock. Danish Rev. Game Biol, 2, 127-55. 



Bailey, N, T. J. (1952), Improvements in the interpretation of recapture data. /. Aiiim. Ecol. 

 21, 120-7. 



DISCUSSION 



I. A. McLaren: In your paper you imphed that you were dealing with 

 an equilibrium population of around 170. Yet there is a very high production 

 of young. How are the numbers maintained? Is there winter starvation? 



