RED DEER 15 



the tail itself is dark-coloured. The general colour of the adult 

 summer coat is reddish brown, and that of the winter dress greyish 

 brown, while the young are profusely spotted. 



Red deer, in the widest sense of the term, are inhabitants of 

 Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, and Northern Persia. In the 

 typical red deer (C. elaphus typicus] of Sweden, and its representatives 

 in Western, Northern, and Central Europe, the antlers attain their 

 maximum degree of complexity, sometimes having twenty or even 

 more points, although in many Scotch examples the bez-tine is 

 wanting. The Swedish red deer is the typical Cervus elaphus of Lin- 

 n?eus, in other words, Cei~vus elaphus typicus. From this race the 

 Norwegian stock differs by its inferior size, the absence of a mane of 

 long hairs on the neck, and the lighter colour of the summer coat. 

 The general colour of the Swedish race is dark reddish brown, almost 

 chestnut, with the legs sooty or blackish brown ; while in the Nor- 

 wegian animal the colour is yellowish brown tinged with grey, the legs 

 being paler and of a brownish slaty grey. The rump -patch is also 

 lighter in the Norwegian race, being reddish yellow with a blackish 

 border, while that of the Swedish red deer is less distinct, sometimes 

 scarcely differing in colour from the flanks. There are also differences 

 in the skulls of the two races, especially noticeable in the case of hinds. 

 On these grounds Dr. Lonnberg regards the Norwegian red deer as a 

 distinct race, or sub-species, with the name Cervus elaphus atlanticus. 

 If he be justified in this, there can be no doubt that Scottish, Irish, and 

 English red deer are severally distinct. Scotch red deer seem to be 

 distinguishable not only by their small size but by their tendency to 

 " Roman noses." Nevertheless these forms of red deer are so near one 

 another that they may be alluded to collectively as the Western race. 



The Corsican red deer (C. elaphus corsicanus), of Corsica and 

 Sardinia, is a very small race, with the bez-tine of the antlers wanting, 

 and the general colour of the upper-parts dark brown in summer and 

 blackish in the winter. Nearly allied is the North African red deer (C. 

 elaphus barbarus], which is of rather larger dimensions, with a greyish- 

 brown streak down the middle of the back, and small irregular 

 whitish spots on the flanks and sometimes on the back ; traces of such 

 spots being occasionally observable in the summer coat of hinds of the 

 typical race. The bez-tine seems to be very generally wanting. 



The Eastern red deer (C. elaphus marat] is a large race, described 

 on page 41. 



In a red deer killed at Spetchley Park the weight was 419 Ibs. 

 gross, and 216 when cleaned ; while in one shot at Knowsley many 



