The Zoologist — January, 1873. 3353 



European is allowed to enter it. It is stated to contain deer of 

 different species, and herds of Antilope gutturosa, besides the 

 Elaphures. M. David saw from the wall more than a hundred of 

 the last-named animal, which he describes as resembling a " long- 

 tailed reindeer with very large horns." At that time he was 

 unable, in spite of every effort, to get specimens of it ; but, being 

 acquainted with some of the Tartar soldiers who mounted guard in 

 the park, subsequently succeeded in obtaining the examples upon 

 which M. Alphonse Milne-Edwards founded his description of this 

 remarkable animal. Shortly after this M. Henri de Bellonet, Charge 

 d'Affaires of the French Legation at Pekiu, managed to procure a 

 pair of Elaphures from the Imperial Park, and kept them for nearly 

 two years in a court near the Embassy in that city. Upon his 

 return to Paris, in the summer of 1867, M. de Bellonet, having 

 heard of our applications to our correspondents at Pekin to obtain 

 living examples of this animal, was kind enough to place this pair 

 at the disposal of the Society upon our undertaking the expense of 

 their removal to this country. This the Council willingly agreed 

 to, and application was at once made to H. E. Sir Rutherford 

 Alcock and our other correspondents at Pekin to make arrange- 

 ments for their transport. Unfortunately, however, these animals 

 died before this could be effected ; but the skin and skeleton of the 

 male were carefully preserved under Sir Rutherford Alcock's 

 directions, and forwarded to the Society along with two pairs of the 

 shed horns of the same animal. They were exhibited at our 

 meeting on November 12, 1868, after which the skin was deposited 

 in the British Museum and the skeleton and horns in the Museum 

 of the Royal College of Surgeons. Meanwhile Sir Rutherford 

 Alcock lost no time in making application to the Chinese 

 authorities for other specimens, and, after interviews with Prince 

 Kung and other high officials, ultimately succeeded in procuring 

 several young pairs, one of which reached the Society's Gardens 

 in perfect health and condition on the 2nd of August last. The 

 general aspects of the Elaphure is much more like that of the true 

 Cervi than I had anticipated from the description and figure of 

 M. Milne-Edwards. The only two very noticeable points of dis- 

 tinction, besides the horns of the male, which are not at present 

 shown in our animals, are the rather larger and heavier legs, the 

 longer and more expanding toes, and the long tail. The latter 

 character, however, seems to me to have been somewhat exaggerated 



