202 



NA TURE 



[December 30, 1897 



the Altai wapiti, a species first made known in this 

 country by antlers obtained by the second Yarkand 

 expedition in Kashgar, and described by Mr. Blanford. 

 The herd includes the first living examples of this 

 splendid species ever brought to this country, although 

 visitors to the Zoological Gardens have now an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing an immature specimen. And it is not a 

 little remarkable that a stag so well known in the Altai, 

 where it is kept in a semi-domestic condition by the 

 farmers, should so long have remained a stranger to the 

 anenageries of Europe. 



Perhaps, however, the most generally attractive of all 

 the enclosures is the one which may be called the Chital 

 paddock, on account of its containing a large herd of 

 the beautiful chital or Indian spotted deer. A most 

 successful photograph of a group of deer feeding in this 

 paddock, for which we are also indebted to Her Grace the 



case, and whereas these animals thrive and multiply at 

 Woburn to an extraordinary degree, some northern 

 species, like the elk and reindeer, which might have 

 been expected to flourish best, die off in an unaccount- 

 able manner. Out of several head of American elk only 

 a solitary survivor now remains, while all the adult rein- 

 deer are dead. Some young American calves of the 

 latter species have, however, been recently received, and 

 it may be hoped their fate will be happier. Possibly if 

 Norwegian reindeer and elk were tried, they might do 

 better than their American representatives. But it must 

 be remembered that both these animals have dis- 

 appeared at a comparatively recent date from Britain ; 

 and there may be something in our climate at the present 

 time absolutely unfavourable to their existence. 



The various Oriental races of sambar and rusa flourish 

 at Woburn equally well with the chital, and the large 



Wapiti. Wapiti. Sika. Bison, Wapiti. Sambar. 



Wapiti. 



Fig. I. — The American Wapiti Paddock at Woburn .\bbey, showing Wapiti, Sambar, Sika, and Bison. (From a photograph by the Duchess 



of Bedford.) 



T)uchess of Bedford, forms the subject of the second 

 illustration. In addition to numerous chital, easily 

 recognised by their dappled coats, this photograph 

 shows several examples of the true maral, or Caspian 

 red deer, from the Caucasus, which are the largest 

 animals in the photo. This deer, it may be observed, 

 although often regarded as a distinct species, appears 

 to be nothing more than a race, or sub-species, of the 

 red deer of Western Europe. Of the other smaller 

 animals in the group, a Virginian deer occupies the 

 foreground on the left, while several mouflon, and at 

 least one Indian antelope, or black-buck, are in the 

 ■centre. 



From the torrid nature of their environment, it might 

 have been supposed that the Indian chital and black- 

 buck would have been among the species least suitable 

 10 withstand our climate. Nevertheless, this is not the 



NO. 1470, VOL. 57] 



series of these animals now collected there affords material 

 for a fairly full study of an exceedingly difficult group. 

 Hog-deer and muntjacs are also among those which are 

 hardy and capable of acclimatisation. Other Oriental 

 species represented in the collection are the swamp-deer 

 of India, and the ihameng of Burma and Siam ; but 

 these are kept in smaller and well-protected enclosures, 

 with ample shelter. From the colder nature of their 

 habitat, the various species and races of the sikas of 

 Japan and Northern China might naturally be expected 

 to do well, and as a matter of fact this has been found 

 to be the case. In addition to the common Japanese 

 and Manchurian sikas, the collection includes the large 

 and handsome Pekin sika, previously known only by the 

 type specimens sent home by the late Consul Swinhoe 

 after the sack of the Imperial Summer Palace. Pfere 

 David's deer has been already mentioned as among 



