80 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



eleven feet in span, and each more than five feet long in a straight line from burr to tip. In general 

 form the antlers do not strikingly differ from those of the Common Fallow Deer. The brow-tyne is 

 quite simple at its base, and generally slightly bifid at its extremity, there being no true "bez." The 

 beam is cylindroid as far as the insignificant " trez," beyond which it is flattened out into a gigantic 

 triangular expansion, or " palm," with the free base developed into snags, usually about seven in 

 number, and a fairly independent posterior tyiie. 



IRISH ELK. (Restored.) 



At the withers the skeleton, which is quite cervine in eveiy detail, measures as much as six feet ; 

 its great peculiarity in the male being the large size of the cervical or neck vertebrae, necessarily extra 

 strong that they may support the massive antlers, about seventy pounds in weight. In the females, 

 which had no cranial appendages, the vertebrae of the neck were one-third smaller. 



The accompanying figure is an attempt to represent the species under consideration, as it must 

 have appeared when living. It is worthy of note, however, that as the coat of the Fallow Deer, 

 which may be its nearest ally, is brilliantly spotted, the great Irish Deer may have resembled it in 

 that respect. 



The first fairly complete skeleton of the species was found in the Isle of Man. Others have been 

 obtained from Waterford and elsewhere in Ireland. 



A. H. GARROD. 



