806 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



either wholly or partially barren, and their progeny in a few 

 generations become so enfeebled as to die out altogether. But 

 we liave seen that a few do apparently retain much of their 

 native vigor, and reproductive powers, which they transmit in a 

 large degree to their descendants. " Gipsy," a favorite doe 

 now ten years old, taken in the wild state when a fa\yn, did, 

 for several years at least, produce healthy vigorous twins, al- 

 though she rarely got arboreous food, except what was broken 

 from the trees by storms, or fell in the course of nature, — for in 

 the North and South Parks the deer have killed off all the 

 shrubbery, which was there originally, and while the deterioration 

 in vigor and reproductive powers was not observable, was very 

 abundant. I do not despair of finally producing a race of deer 

 that will be both healthy and prolific in domestication, and that, 

 too, when confined entirely to herbaceous food. To accomplish 

 this, I have no doubt much weakness must be eliminated from 

 the stock, but nature is doing that, and if but some survive the 

 test then is the experiment a success. Could we go far enough 

 back in history to learn of the particulars of the domestication of 

 many of our domestic animals, which now breed and thrive well 

 in our hands, we should probably find some such experience as I 

 have related. However, if this be generally true of the quad- 

 rupeds, it is scarcely so of all the feathered tribes. My experi- 

 ments with the wild turkey show that the wild birds reared in 

 domestication are remarkably vigorous and healthy, much more 

 so than the common domestic turkey, while they are equally pro- 

 lific, though in many instances both the male and female are a 

 year later in breeding than the domestic bird. Probably, as a 

 general rule, the reproductive powers of birds are less impaired 

 by domestication than are those of quadrupeds. 



The young bucks seem to quite forget their dams after they 

 are one year old. The habits of the wild deer are not very 

 much modified by partial domestication, although after the rut- 

 ting season is over they seem to be more gregarious in a wild 

 state than in the parks ; yet solitary deer are frequently met 

 with in the prairies and in the forests. 



There is no recognized monarch among the bucks, though 

 where they meet frequently a superiority is soon settled which, 

 for the time, is respected ; but if separated for some months a 

 new contest is required to determine which is the better deer. 



The passage between the North and East Pai'k was closed dur- 

 ing the last summer, and there was a large buck in each of 



