CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 247 



Mr. RAY to Dr. ROBINSON. 



SIR, Since my last to you, I find that our Fallow 

 Deer is not the Cervus palmatus of Gesner, but, by the 

 consent of Clusius, Bellonius, and Peyerus, the Platyceros 

 of Pliny, lib. ii, c. 37, described by Bellonius, but in 

 some particulars erroneously, v. g. with a long tail. It 

 is vulgarly called Dama, but is not the Dama of the 

 ancients. The French call it Dain, and the Germans 

 Dam-hirsch ; so that what the Cervus palmatus is I am 

 yet to seek. 



I am at some loss about the place of the Camelopar- 

 dalis. 1 think there is good reason to place him among 

 the Euminantia cornigera, but whether he be of the 

 Cervinum genus or no is questionable, seeing his horns 

 are not ramose, as all the rest of that kind are. 



In the year 1667, 1 saw in the Strand a strange animal 

 (deer they called it), of which all the notes I took are 

 these. It was near of a fox-colour, its body bigger than 

 a goat, but of a like make ; the horns black, not branched, 

 once wreathed, not large ; the ears long, and hanging 

 down like a hound's. It had two wattles under the 

 throat, such as are seen in some hogs. I saw it eat hay 

 and barley, and it was very tame. If the horns of this 

 creature were round, which I am in some doubt of, it is 

 clear that it must be some species of Gazelle. 



Your conjecture that Poor John is nothing else but 

 the Hake [Merlucius vulgaris\ salted and dried, seems to 

 me very likely; but where they may be had I desire 

 demonstrations. 



I never very curiously observed Trouts \Salmo fario], 

 because they do not often come in my way, there being 

 none in the country near us. I believe I was thirty years 

 of age before ever I saw one. Sprats \Clupca sprat f us] 

 I know to be nothing else but the young fry of Hen-ings 

 [Clupea Tiarengm\ and Pilchards \Clupea pilchardus]; 



