PERE DAVID\S deer 293 



the family Cervidae cDiiceriis the rudimentary fifth and second 

 toes. In Capreolus, Hydrojjotes, Moschtis, Alces, Rangifcr, and 

 Padua there are considerable remains of the lower parts of 

 metacarpals II. and \. ; in the other genera smaller traces of 

 the upper ends of the same bones. 



The two most abnormal genera are Moschus and Hydropotes, 

 more particularly the former, which neither Sir V. Brooke nor 

 Professor Garrod allow to be members of the family at all. Moschvs 

 is usually placed in a special sub-family by itself, Moschinae, the 

 remaining Deer being referred to another su])-family, Cervinae. 



Sub-Fam. 1. Cervinae. — The genus Cervus comprises rather 

 over twenty existing species, wliich, except the Wapiti (C. 

 canadensis), are exclusively Old Wcndd in distribution. The prin- 

 cipal features of variation in the genus, in accordance with which 

 it has been divided up into suli-genera, are (1) palmated (Fallow^ 

 Deer, Da.ma) or non -palmated antlers; (2) adults spotted with 

 white at all ages and seasons (Axis), or in summer only (Pseudaxis), 

 or not at all ; (3) spotted or unspotted young ; (4) existence or 

 absence of rudimentary canines in the upper jaw. 



Among the members of this genus, Cervus (Plaphurus) 

 david:ia,nus is interesting as having been first observed by the 

 missionary Pere David in a park belonging to the Emperor of 

 China near Pekin. Its horns are remarkable for dividing early 

 into two brandies of equal length, of which the anterior again 

 branches into two. Specimens of this Deer were ultimately 

 obtained for the Zoological Society's Gardens. 



The species of Cervus are fairly distributed between the Palae- 

 arctic and the Indian regions. The Palaearctic species, such as 

 Liihdorff's Deer (Fig. 152), are mainly Asiatic. Cervus ekvplius 

 and Cervus dama alone are Euro])ean and British. The former 

 of course is the Ked Deer, the latter the Fallow Deer. The 

 Red Deer is reddish -brown in summer and greyish - brown in 

 winter, with the white patch on the rump so common in the 

 Deer tribe. The Eed Deer is genuinely wild in Scotland, in 

 certain parts of Devonshire and Westmoreland, and in the New 

 Forest. At the beginning of the last century, according to 

 Gilbert White, there were 500 head of deer in Wolmer Forest, 

 which were inspected by Queen Anne. The antlers may have as 

 many as forty-eight points ; and a stag with more than the three 

 anterior tines is termed a " Eoyal Hart." The Fallow Deer has 



