THE DEER TRIBE 



299 



A WORD should be 

 said upon the subject 

 of the acclimatisation of 

 various members of the 

 Deer Tribe in countries 

 which are distant from 

 their native ground, but 

 in which they are found 

 to thrive and breed, 

 some with greater and 

 some with less success. 

 Several of the illustra- 

 tions in this chapter are 

 taken from deer living 

 in natural conditions 

 at an English country 

 seat in Bedfordshire. 

 Others were photo- 

 graphed out of doors in 

 zoological parks or pri- 

 vate menageries. There 

 is a considerable degree 

 of transferability among 

 deer, not only among 

 those found in temper- 

 ate or northern regions, 

 India. 



The Axis, or Chital Deer of India, is the most striking example. It lives in the hot 

 jungles, where it is the usual food of the tiger. Yet it has been transferred to the forests of 

 France and to English parks, and not only lives, but breeds and increases in numbers. In 

 France and Germany herds of axis deer have been maintained long enough to observe a 

 curious and noteworthy incident in acclimatisation. The axis deer breeds naturally in October, 

 after the Indian rainy season. This habit, if persisted in in Europe, would expose the fawn 

 to the rigours of the French or English winter. Gradually and after some time the herds 

 become irregular in the time of reproduction, and later produce the fawns in June, at the 

 time which is best suited to their survival. This is a real instance of acclimatisation. 



The Japanese Deer, or Sika, was introduced into the park at Powerscourt by Viscount 

 Powerscourt some thirty years ago. Now it is one of the commonest of recently introduced 

 park-deer both in England and in France. The venison is excellent, and the herds are 

 prolific. The stags are small, but very strong, and at Powerscourt always get the better of 

 the red deer stags, and sometimes carry off their hinds. Wapiti Deer are kept in several 

 English parks, but so far the Sambar has proved a failure. Hog-deer and Chinese Water-deer 

 do very well both in England and France. 



But it is in New Zealand that the best results have been obtained with imported deer. 

 The English Red Deer, some of which were originally sent out by the Prince Consort, 

 reinforced by some of the same species bred in Australia, have become indigenous. They 

 grow far faster and to a larger size than those on the Scotch moors, and rival the 

 great stags of the Carpathians. The antlers also increase in size at an abnormal rate. 

 Licences are regularly issued to stalk and shoot these deer, which, like the brown trout and 

 the pheasant, are now among the stock of established wild fauna. Moose and a few Sam- 

 bar stags and herds have also been turned out in New Zealand. The latter are said to be 

 doing well. 



YOUNG MARSH-DEER 



A very elegant South American species. The main colour is a bright chestnut, <with the lower part 

 of the legs black. The insides of the ears are jilled 'with <whitc hair t looking like silver filigree 



but also those which inhabit the tropical jungles of Southern 



