152 



MAMMALS. 



varieties — how far some of these deserve to be reckoned species, and if so, which of them, is a 

 m^ore difEcult question. 



There is first the fossil variety ; next the Laphmd Reindeer, which is nearest to the fossil type ; 

 then the Siberian, which, although very close to the Lapland, differs in the character of the horns ; 

 moreover, there are two varieties in North America ; and one in Greenland and Spitzbergen. I 

 believe all these to be altered forms develojaed out of one stock, modified to an extent corre- 

 sponding with the degree of deviation of their respective climates from the original conditions 

 of existence of that stock. The following woodcuts represent the typical character of the horns of 

 the different kinds. 



Fig. 1. Fossil Europeau Ruiudccr (Owen), 



Fig. 1 represents a specimen of the fossQ species found in " pleistocene till," at Biluey 

 Moor, East Dereham, in Norfolk, copied from a figure given by Prof. Owen.* 



MeUia, so long ago as 1780, pointed out the difference between the Lapland and the 

 Siberian individuals,! and gave us very good figures of both. Fig. 2 is a copy of one of his repre- 

 sentations of the Lapland Deer ; it seems to be that of a female, but full-grown, and niaj^ therefore 

 be assumed to be characteristic. The most of his and Schreber's figures give the brow-snags as 

 in this figure, only more horizontal in the males, but the majority of the figures, from the un- 

 developed palmation of the upper tjTies, were probably taken from young animals. Fig. 3, however, 

 is copied from a figure by Schreber,* which he says was taken from an animal six j'ears old. He 

 does not say whether it is from Lapland or Siberia, but making allowance for the greater develop- 

 ment which might be expected in an older animal, I should imagine it to be a Lapland individual. 



Fig. 4 is a head, copied from Melliu's figure of the Siberian type ; and fig. 5, which is 



* Owen's " Palieontology," p. 374, 1860. 

 + Mellin, Zur Naturg. Rennthiere in " Gesellschaft 

 Naturfoi'sclicn, der Frcuiule." Schrifteu, 1780-3. 



J ScHREBER " Saugethiere," 1805, and " Saugethiere 

 f ortgesetzt " von A. Ooldfuss and Wagner, 182G. 



