468 



EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



In former times the Chinese emperors maintained a hunting 

 park south of Peking, known as the Non Hai-tzu. It was strictly 

 guarded, and no Europeans were allowed entrance. In 1865, how- 

 ever, the French missionary Pere Armand David managed to look 

 over the surrounding brick wall and to obtain a view of the remark- 

 able deer that was eventually named for him. In 1866 several 



FIG. 47. Pere David's Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) 



specimens were procured by diplomatic and other means and sent to 

 Paris, where Milne Edwards described them as Elaphurus davi- 

 dianus. In subsequent years a number of living specimens were 

 shipped to Europe, and their descendants were distributed in various 

 zoological gardens. (Lydekker, 1903, pp. 273-276.) 



Meanwhile disaster overtook the herds in China, as recorded by 

 Bushell (1899, pp. 588-589) : "I am well acquainted with the habits 

 of the Cervus (Elaphurus) davidianus, and used often to ride among 

 the herds which formerly swarmed in the Non Hai-tzu, the Imperial 

 Hunting Park south of Peking, which is enclosed by a wall forty-five 

 miles in circuit. But four years ago the brick wall was breached in 

 many places by the waters of the Hun Ho, as they flooded the 



