THE DEER KIND. 



265 



throat, by which it appears bearded, like the 

 goat. 



There is also a very beautiful stag, which 

 by some is said to be a native of Sardinia ; 

 but others (among whom is Mr. Buffbn) are 

 of opinion that it comes from Africa or the 

 East-Indies. He calls it the axis, after Pliny; 

 and considers it as making the shade between 

 the stag and the fallow-deer. The horns of 

 the axis are round, like those of the stag; but 

 the form of its body entirely resembles that 

 of the buck, and the size also is exactly the 

 same. The hair is of four colours; namely, 

 fallow, white, black, and gray. The white 

 js predominant under the belly, on the inside 

 of the thighs and the legs. Along the back 

 there are two rows of spots in a right line ; 

 but those on other parts of the body are very 

 irregular. A white line runs along each side 

 of this animal, while the head and neck are 

 gray. The tail is black above, and white be- 

 neath ; and the hair upon it is six inches long. 



Although there are but few individuals of 

 the deer kind, yet the race seems diffused 

 over all parts of the earth. The new conti- 

 nent of America, in which neither the sheep, 

 the goat, nor the gazelle, have been originally 

 bred, nevertheless produces stags, and other 

 animals of the deer kind, in sufficient plenty. 

 The Mexicans have a breed of white stags in 

 their parks, which they call stags royal." The 

 stags of Canada differ from ours in nothing 

 except the size of the horns, which in them 

 is greater; and the direction of the antlers, 

 which rather turn back, than project forward, 

 as in those of Europe. The same difference 

 of size that obtains among our stags, is also 

 to be seen in that country ; and, as we are 

 informed by Ruysch, the Americans have 

 brought them into the same state of domestic 

 tameness that we have our sheep, goats, or 

 black cattle. They send them forth in the 

 day-time to feed in the forests; and at night 

 they return home with the herdsman who 

 guards them. The inhabitants have no other 

 milk but what the hind produces ; and use no 

 other cheese but what is made from thence. 

 In this manner we find, that an animal which 

 seems made only for man's amusement, may 

 be easily brought to supply his necessities. 



a Buffon, vol. xii. p. 35. 



Nature has many stores of happiness and 

 plenty in reserve, which only want the call of 

 industry to be produced, and now remain as 

 candidates for human approbation. 



THE FALLOW-DEER. 



No two animals can be more nearly allied 

 than the stag and the fallow-deer. 1 ' Alike in 

 form, alike in disposition, in the superb fur- 

 niture of their heads, in their swiftness and 

 timidity; and yet no two animals keep more 

 distinct, or avoid each other with more 

 fixed animosity. They are never seen to 

 herd in the same place, they never engender 

 together, or form a mixed breed ; and even 

 in those countries where the stag is common, 

 the buck seems to be entirely a stranger; in 

 short, they both form distinct families; which, 

 though so seemingly near, are still remote : 

 and although with the same habitudes, yet 

 retain an unalterable aversion. The fallow- 

 deer, as they are much smaller, so they seem 

 of a nature less robust, and less savage than 

 those of the stag kind. They are found but 

 rarely wild in the forests ; they are, in gene- 

 ral, bred up in parks, and kept for the pur- 

 poses of hunting, or of luxury, their flesh be- 

 ing preferred to that of any other animal. It 

 need scarce be mentioned, that the horns of 

 the buck make its principal distinction, being 

 broad and palmated; whereas those of the 

 stag are in every part round. In the one, 

 they are flatted and spread like the palm of 

 the hand ; in the other they grow like a tree, 

 every branch being of the shape of the stem 

 that bears it. The fallow-deer also has the 

 tail longer, and the hair lighter than the stag; 

 in other respects, they pretty near resemble 

 one another. 



The head of the buck, as of all other ani- 

 mals of this kind, is shed every year,and takes 

 the usual time for repairing. The only differ- 

 ence between it and the stag is, that this 

 change happens later in the buck ; and its 

 rutting-time, consequently, falls more into the 

 winter. It is not found so furious at this 

 season as the former; nor does it so much 

 exhaust itself by the violence of its ardour. 



b Buffon, vol. xii. p. 36. 



