THE DOMESTICATION OF WILD ANIMALS 45 



In spite, too, of the warm climate of its native home, 

 the Indian spotted deer, or chital, takes kindly to a semi- 

 wild life in Europe, where it may be seen in some of the 

 parks of Ehgland, France, and Germany, the acclimatisation 

 on the Continent dating from more than fifty years ago. 

 At the time of its first introduction on the Continent 

 nearly all the fawns perished owing to having been born 

 in winter ; but the females subsequently took to calving in 

 spring, after which change of habit breeding has gone on 

 successfully. Still it must be acknowledged that such an 

 essentially exotic animal as the chital is much less likely 

 to become permanently acclimatised in northern and central 

 Europe than is a species like the Peking deer, whose home 

 is in the steppes of Manchuria. 



Hog-deer, which have the advantage that they do no 

 damage to foliage, seeing that they are grazing animals, 

 have been introduced into two French parks, and also run 

 wild in the woods at Woburn. And the same is the case 

 with the Indian and Chinese species of muntjac. During 

 the cold winters of 1879-80 muntjacs were seen in a French 

 park during the winter lying out on the snow and apparently 

 enjoying themselves. For small parks these little deer are 

 specially to be commended, as their diminutive size removes 

 nearly all danger of a serious attack with their antlers. 



The hornless Chinese water-deer is, however, absolutely 

 innocuous in this respect; and it also has the further re- 

 commendation that it is much more prolific than any other 

 member of the Cervidae, producing as many as half a dozen 

 fawns at a birth. Of antelopes, several kinds have been 

 more or less acclimatised in Europe. Most notable is the 

 case of the nilgai in Italy, where in 1862 Signer Comba 

 introduced a dozen head into his park at Mandria. Ten 

 years later no less than 172 individuals were running at 



