274 MOSTLY MAMMALS 



Till the year 1865 naturalists had no idea as to the 

 species of deer to be found in the Non Hai-tzu, the 

 Anglo-French expedition of 1860 having confined their 

 attention to Peking and the Yuangming Yuan. In February 

 of the former year, however, the well-known French 

 missionary, explorer, and naturalist, Pere Armand David, 

 obtained an opportunity of looking over the wall, and was 

 much astonished at the sight which met his eyes. In 

 addition to Mongolian gazelles, he saw herds of a species 

 of deer which he then regarded as an unknown kind of 

 reindeer, although he described it as somewhat donkey- 

 like in appearance, with a long well-haired tail. At that 

 season of the year the stags were without antlers. At 

 this time the energetic missionary was quite unable to 

 obtain a specimen of the new deer, but by bribing the 

 Tatar guards of the park he succeeded, in January of the 

 following year, in acquiring the skins of a stag and hind. 

 Meantime the French Minister at Peking had been en- 

 deavouring to procure a living pair of this deer by 

 diplomatic means, and in February of that year succeeded 

 in his efforts. The stag, however, unfortunately died soon 

 after its removal from the park, and its skin was sent to 

 Paris with those of the two specimens obtained from the 

 Tatar guards. 



When these specimens arrived at the Paris Museum 

 they were examined by Prof. Milne-Edwards, who in due 

 course described them as representing a new genus and 

 species of deer, under the name of Elaphurus davidianus. 

 By the Chinese, it may be well to mention, the animal is 

 known by the name of mi-lou, or, more commonly, sen- 

 pou-siang. 



The accompanying photograph gives an excellent idea 

 of the external appearance of the stags of this very 



