THE AXIS. 237 



between Perfia and India. This warm country 

 never produced rain deer ; for they cannot fub- 

 fift in temperate countries, and are found only 

 in the northern regions of both Continents. The 

 ftags, on the contrary, have no particular attach- 

 ment to the north ; for they are very numerous 

 both in temperate and warm climates. Hence 

 the hippelaphus of Ariftotle, which is found a- 

 mong the Arachotas, and in the fame countries 

 with the buffalo, is unqueftionably the flag of 

 Ardennes, and not the rain deer. 



Now, if we compare what Pliny has faid of 

 the tragelaphus, with what Ariftotle has advan- 

 ced concerning the hippelaphus, and both with 

 nature, we will perceive that the tragelaphus is 

 the fame animal with the hippelaphus, and con- 

 fequently the fame with our flag of Ardennes. 

 Pliny remarks *, that the tragelaphus belongs to 

 the fpecies of flag, and differs from him only by 

 the beard and the hair on its fhoulders. Thefe 

 characters are pofitive, and can apply only to the 

 ftag of Ardennes ; for Pliny, in another place, 

 mentions the rain deer under the name of Alva. 

 He adds, that the tragelaphus is found in the 

 neighbourhood of Phafis, which ftill farther a- 

 grees with the ftag, and not with the rain deer. 

 We may, therefore, fafely pronounce, that the 

 tragelaphus of Pliny, and the hippelaphus of A- 

 liftotle, both denote the animal which we call 



the 



* Eadem eft Ipecie (cervi videlicet) barbs tantum, et ar- 

 morum villo diftans quern tragelaphon vocant, non alibi quam 

 Suxta Phafin amnern, nafcens ; Plin. Hi/?. Nat. lib. 8. cap. 33. 



