364 UNGULATES. 



preserved their ancient character in regard to size and colour. Locally they are 

 referred to as ' the old forest breed,' and are comparatively small in size, of a 

 uniformly dark brown colour, and with very attenuated antlers — peculiarities which 

 have no doubt been brought about by continued isolation, without the admixture 

 of any fresh stock for many generations. It is remarkable that no individuals of 

 the true fallow colour (i.e. yellow dun) or spotted with white are ever seen in this 

 forest. This in some measure proves the antiquity of the stock, which would 

 otherwise show in their progeny a reversion to one or other of these varieties, 

 which elsewhere are so common. The keepers assert that not only are there no 

 spotted or fallow varieties here, but that they have never observed any spotted 

 fawns, the latter being dark like their parents. If this observation be correct, it 

 is very remarkable ; for it is generally supposed that the fawns of all fallow deer 

 are spotted at birth, and that, except in the permanently spotted variety, the spots 

 disappear with age. The attenuation of the antlers is also very noticeable, the 

 palmation being reduced from a hand's-breadth to about the width of two fingers. 

 There can be no doubt that, from long isolation and continued breeding in and in, 

 the herd has considerably degenerated. ... At present [1884] the number of fallow 

 deer in Epping Forest is estimated to be about eighty or one hundred head. They 

 do not associate in one herd, but roam about in small parties, keeping to the thickest 

 underwood and most unfrequented parts of the forest." The venison of the fallow 

 deer is generally considered superior to that of the red deer. 

 Persian Fallow The Persian fallow deer (C. mesojiotamicus), from the mountains 



Deer. f Luristan, in Mesopotamian Persia, differs from the ordinary kind 



in that the trez-tine of the antlers is placed nearer to the small brow-tine, and that 

 the main palmation of the beam takes place below instead of above the middle of 

 the length. The two species are, however, very closely allied, and will freely breed 

 together. The Persian species appears to be always spotted. 

 Extinct Irish In this place may be noticed two extinct deer from the superficial 



Deer. deposits of Europe, which appear to be nearly related to the fallow 

 deer, although of course it is impossible to tell now whether they had spotted or 

 uniformly-coloured coats. The first and largest of these is the gigantic Irish deer 

 (0. giganteus), often, but incorrectly, spoken of as the Irish elk, in which the 

 widely-palmated antlers were larger and more massive than in any other species. 

 In this magnificent deer the antlers have a short and nearly cylindrical basal 

 portion of the beam, given off almost at right angles to the axis of the skull. 

 Above the burr there is a descending brow-tine (b) which is flattened and generally 

 forked. As soon as the beam expands it gives off from the front edge a trez-tine 

 (c), and nearly opposite to it, on the hinder edge, a back-tine (h), corresponding to 

 the one similarly situated in the fallow deer. Above these tines the antlers expand 

 to their fullest width, and generally terminate in five or six snags, of which the 

 topmost have a nearly upright direction. In unusually fine examples the antlers 

 of the Irish deer may have a span of over 11 feet from tip to tip, and the height of 

 the animal was fully 6 feet at the shoulder. 



Although the Irish deer takes its name from the common occurrence of its 

 remains in the bogs of Ireland, it is by no means confined to that country., but is 

 found in the caverns and superficial deposits of England and parts of Scotland, as 



