European Elk 45 



Duke of Bedford, appears indistinguishable from Scandinavian examples. 

 Should the Eastern form ot the elk prove distinguishable, it should not be 

 forgotten that separate specific names were assigned many years ago by 

 Fisher- de - Waldheim ^ to elk-remains from Russia which are certainly 

 referable to A. iiuich/is. 



It is generally stated that Eastern Prussia niarks the southern limits of 

 the elk in Europe within historic times. At an earlier date there is, how- 

 ever, evidence of its occurrence on the Save River, on the northern frontier 

 of Bosnia, in about latitude 45 N., two fine specimens of detached antlers 

 from this locality having recently been figured and described by Herr ]. 

 Grimmer." 



The largest pair of European elk antlers recorded by Mr. Rowland 

 Ward measure 37J inches to the tip ot the longest tine, and have a basal 

 girth of 8 inches, with a tip-to-tip interval of 35^^ inches. The weight of 

 a large pair of elk-antlers is not unfrequently as much as 60 lbs., while an 

 entire animal will scale from 900 to 1400 lbs. 



So much has been written with regard to the habits of the elk, both 

 in Europe and in America, that little need be said. A summ.ary of the 

 general features will be found in Deer of All Lands, while for fuller and 

 more detailed information the reader may consult the two works by Capt. 

 L. Lloyd quoted under the heading of the reindeer, as well as Mr. E. N. 

 Buxton's Short Stalks, and Mr. Abel Chapman's IViU Norway. An 

 essential feature in the habits of the elk is that it is a forest-dwelling 

 animal, fond of wading into swamps and lakes in order to browse on 

 aquatic plants, and that in the main it is not gregarious, although family 

 parties may collect for the winter season. Like most deer, male elk 

 become exceedingly ferocious during the pairing time, when both sexes 

 utter the characteristic call of the species, which in the case of the female 



1 When writing Deer of All Lands the author was unaware of the existence of these names, and they 

 arc consequently omitted from the list of synonyms. 



- Wissenschaftliche MitthcUungen aus Bosnieti uiid dcr Henegovina^ vol. vi. pp. 844-846 (1899). 



