Natural Hijiory of the Ancients. 1 6 1 



from the equus tteniopus of Abyflinia, and our goats 

 from the capra <egagrus of the mountains of Afia, 

 poflibly mingled with the allied Indian fpecies 

 c . falconieri. 1 They filtered to us through Roman 

 influences. The cat alfo came from Rome, as has 

 been fhewn in another chapter. The fallow-deer 

 had exifted in Great Britain in prehiftoric times, 

 but feems to have become extinct before the 

 Roman period, and modern fo-called " wild " 

 fallow-deer in Scotland are all defcended from 

 efcaped fpecimens, defendants of thofe brought 

 to our ifland from Rome. 2 This deer is originally 

 an inhabitant of the diftricts bordering on the 

 Mediterranean. 



The rabbit, although often deemed indigenous 

 to Britain, is another native of the Cifalpine 

 countries of the Mediterranean bafm, and is plenti- 

 ful in Greece and parts of Italy. 3 Casfar fays that 

 the ancient Britons did not deem it lawful to tafte 

 the flefh of the hare, the hen, and the goofe, but 

 fays nothing of the rabbit. 4 Martial has a well- 

 known couplet on the animal : 



" Gaudct in effbflis habitare cuniculus antris, 

 Monftravit tacitas hoftibus ille vias." 5 



This ufeful (or deftructive) animal, as the cafe 

 may be, alfo came to us from Rome. When 

 John, Earl of Morton (Mortain in Normandy), 



1 Darwin, " Domeftication of Plants and Animals," vol. i., 

 pp. 65 and 105. 



2 Alfton, "Fauna of Scotland," 1880, p. 24; and Bell, 

 " Brit. Quads.," ed. 2, p. 358. 



3 Bell, tit/up., p. 343. " 4 "Bell. Gall," v. 12. 

 5 Martial, xiii. 60. 



