154 WILD ANIMALS WORTH STALKING 



these parks Red Deer are kept, the two species 

 living quite peacefully together. 



Fallow Deer are the most common in England, 

 therefore we will deal with that species first. 



Some writers tell us these animals were brought 

 to England by the Romans, but this may be 

 because we have no mention of them at an earlier 

 period. It has been repeatedly stated that the 

 dark variety of Fallow Deer was brought from 

 Norway by James I. to improve those already in 

 our parks, but Mr. Harting has shown clearly that 

 this variety existed in English parks long before 

 James's day! Equally erroneous is the statement 

 that the spotted variety, known formerly as 

 Menil, was brought from Manilla. 



Outside park fences Fallow Deer have been 

 found in a wild state in the New Forest, Epping 

 Forest, Rockingham Forest, and one or two other 

 places, where a few still exist. 



The food of Fallow Deer consists chiefly of 

 grass, acorns, Beechmast, chestnuts, berries of 

 the White Thorn, young tender shoots of Beech, 

 Hazel, Ash, bark, roots, and corn of all kinds, in 

 fact little comes amiss to them in the vegetable 

 world. They will even chew up shed horns and 

 bones! I have often seen them eating scraps of 

 cooked meat and other refuse that has been thrown 

 away after clearing out ashpits, and have also 

 known clothes that have been hung out to dry to 

 be eaten by them! 



