44 Ciamc of FAirope, W. & N. Asia & America 



life — especially w.uling shoulder-deep in lakes for the sake of hrowsing on 

 water-plants — its long limhs, high fore-quarters, short neck, and broad, 

 flexible muzzle are admirably adapted. The tail is remarkably short, even 

 for a deer. The main hoofs are long, narrow, and pointed ; and the 

 lateral pair of hoofs, probably in order to aid in supporting the weight of 

 the body on soft and yielding ground, are relatively large. The hair is 

 coarse and rather long, and even in the fawn never shows distinct spotting. 

 Much exaggeration has occurred with regard to the size ordinarily attained 

 bv the elk, but a height of 6.", feet has been definitely recorded in the case 

 of a Canadian example ; and Alaskan elk, as stated below, are said to be 

 very much taller. 



Elk are darker in winter than in summer, and their general colour 

 varies from yellowish grey to deep blackish brown, the lower portions of 

 the limbs being whitish, the forehead dark chestnut, and the face nearly 

 black below the eyes but reddish grey about the muzzle. 



The elk of Scandinavia is the typical representative of the species, 

 being the animal to which the Swedish naturalist gave the name Cervus 

 dices. Purists in nomenclature prefer to designate the creature AIccs alecs 

 instead of by the title given above, but this is a matter of individual taste. 

 Generally speaking, the Scandinavian elk is characterised by the greyish 

 tone of its coloration ; and the fawns are absolutely free from any trace ot 

 spotting. 



From the forest-clad and marshy districts of Sweden and Norway the 

 range of the elk extends into Eastern Prussia, Livonia, Northern Russia, 

 and thence eastward through Siberia, northwards of about latitude 50 , into 

 Northern Manchuria and Amurland. And so far as our present information 

 goes there are no means of distinguishing the elk of North-Eastern Asia 

 from the typical Scandinavian form. It must, however, be admitted that 

 Asiatic specimens of the elk are extremely rare in English Museums. A 

 female skull from Manchuria, presented to the British Museum by the 



