298 ANNUAL. REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1923 



in small yards. With the llama already in use and bred into differ- 

 ent varieties, there was little reason for special effort by the natives 

 to add this high mountain species to their list of domestic stock. 



THE DEER PADDOCKS 



No less than 15 species of the deer family (Cervidae) are usually 

 shown in the National Zoological Park. Deer are attractive exhibi- 

 tion animals and with proper care do very well in captivity. It is 

 often possible to show small breeding herds in large open paddocks, 

 where the animals present a natural and pleasing appearance. 



The members of the deer family are of special interest to sports- 

 men, and to the average visitor are a never ceasing source of wonder 

 on account of the annual shedding of the antlers. These antlers are 

 present in the males of most of the species of true Cervidee, and are 

 well developed in the females of the caribou and reindeer. They are 

 dropped annually after the rutting season, and during renewal are 

 covered with the " velvet " which is later worn off when the antlers 

 are polished by the animals' rubbing them against trees and rocks. 

 The growth of the new antlers is astonishingly rapid, and in Siberia 

 the maral, or native elk, is kept in large numbers for the antlers 

 alone. These are sawed off while in the velvet and shipped in great 

 quantities to Mongolia and China, where they bring good prices for 

 medicinal purposes. 



The most stately and conspicuous of the American deer is the 

 wapiti, or American elk {Gervus canadensis). Although less in size 

 than the moose, he is of more graceful and handsome proportions. 

 This fine animal once ranged over much of the United States, but 

 is now restricted to a few localities where the species has been care- 

 fully preserved. The greatest numbers are to be found in the 

 Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding country, whence 

 numbers have in recent years been shipped into several Eastern 

 States which were, years ago, inhabited by the species. The elk 

 range in the Zoological Park is situated along the eastern border, 

 between Kock Creek and the boundary fence. The animals breed 

 freely in this place and are maintained in splendid condition. 



Near relatives of the American elk are the Bedford, or Manchu- 

 rian stag (Gervus xanthopygus) , the Kashmir deer (G. hanglu), 

 and the red deer of Europe (G. elaphus). These are all represented 

 in the park by fine breeding herds. The Bedford deer and the Kash- 

 mir deer were presented to the park by the Duke of Bedford from his 

 herds at Woburn Abbey, England. 



The common white-tailed, or Virginia deer (Odocoileus virgini- 

 anus), the mule deer (O. hemionus) of the Rocky Mountain region 

 and the black-tailed deer of the Pacific coast (O. colunibianus) all do 

 well in the park, and breeding herds are shown in large, open yards. 



