6 9 8 



THE AXIS DEER. 



of expressing the exuberance of youthful spirits. There is always one " master " Deer 

 among them, who often couches alone in solitary state, apart from the rest of the herd, and 

 only accompanied by a few chosen does whom he honors with his lordly preference. 



In his absence, the herd is commanded and guided by the younger and less formid- 

 able bucks, but whenever he chooses to make his appearance among his subjects, his 

 advent is always heralded by a general movement among the herd, the young bucks 

 moving silently aside and making room for their monarch. Sometimes a more deter- 

 mined male will protest against such inglorious conduct, and will retain his post at the 

 head of the herd. A threatening movement of the head is, however, generally suffi- 

 cient to make him move slowly away from the place of honor, and in extreme cases, 

 the offender against royal dignity is disdainfully swept aside by a blow from the horns 

 of the master Deer. Not until he begins to fail in strength will the subordinate males 

 venture to cross horns with one who has fought his way to the post which he holds, 

 and whose prowess is too practically known to be questioned. 



The color of the Fallow Deer is generally of a reddish-brown, spotted with white, 

 and with two or three white lines upon the body. There is, however, another variety 

 which scarcely exhibits any of the white spots, and is of a deep blackish-brown. 



The food of the Fallow Deer consists chiefly of grass, but it is very fond of bread, 

 and will sometimes display a very curious appreciation of unexpected dainties. I have 

 often seen them eat ham sandwiches in spite of the mustard, and enjoy them so 

 thoroughly that they pushed and scrambled with each other for the fragments as they 

 fell on the ground. At Magdalen College, Oxford, where many Deer are kept, it used 

 to be a common amusement to tie a crust to a piece of string, and let it down to the 

 Deer out of a window. The animals would nibble the bread, and as it was gradually 

 drawn aloft by the string, would raise themselves on their hind legs in order to reach 

 it. But when the master Deer loomed in the distance, all retired, leaving him to eat 

 the bread in solitary state. It was curious to see how a single Deer would contrive to 

 take into her mouth the entire side of a " half-quartern " loaf, and though it projected 

 on each side of her jaws, would manage, by dint of patient nibbling, to swallow the 

 whole crust without ever letting it drop out of her mouth. 



It is from the Fallow Deer that the best venison is procured, that of the stag being 

 comparatively hard and dry. The skin is well known as furnishing a valuable leather, 

 and the horns are manufactured into knife-handles and other articles of common use. 

 The shavings of the horns are employed for the purpose of making ammonia, which has 

 therefore been long popularly known under the name of hartshorn. The height of the 

 adult Fallow Deer is about three feet at the shoulders. It is a docile animal, and can 

 be readily tamed. Indeed, it often needs no taming, but becomes quite familiar with 

 strangers in a very short time, especially if they should happen to have any fruit, bread, 

 or biscuit, and be willing to impart some of their provisions to their dappled friends. 



The SAMBUR, or SAMBOO {Rusa Aristotelis\ is an example of the Rusine Deer of Asia. 

 It is a large and powerful animal, exceeding the red Deer in dimensions, and equalling 

 that animal in activity and energy. The horns of the Samboo are set on a rather long 

 footstalk, a snag projecting forwards just above the crown, and the tip simply forked. 

 Its color is a sooty-brown, with a patch of tan over the eyes, the feet, and by the root 

 of the tail. The male possesses a rather full and dark mane. It is generally a savage 

 and morose creature, being especially vicious when it is decorated with its powerful 

 horns. In its native land it is a water-loving animal, and is generally found in low- 

 lying forest land. 



ANOTHER member of the Rusine Deer is the well-known Axis, CHITTRA, or SPOTTED 

 HOG DEER, of India and Ceylon. 



The horns are not at all unlike those of the samboo, being placed on long footstalks, 

 and simply forked at their tips. The color of this pretty animal is rather various, but 

 is generally a rich golden-brown, with a dark brown stripe along the back, accompanied 

 by two series of white spots. The sides are covered with white spots, which at first sight 

 appear to be scattered irregularly, but are seen on a careful inspection to be arranged in 



