G. P. Hughes — The Red-Deer in Northumberland. 119 



fresh-water shells, but there seems to be a great number of Ostracorla, 

 also some Cbara-seeds. The Arctic crustacean Lepidurus glacialis 

 and the Arctic willow Salix herbacea, which we found in our 

 previous excavations at Ballauji^h, seem to be absent from this 

 section. Mr. Clement Reid, of H.M. Geological Survey, has kindly 

 undertaken the determination of the vegetable remains, and we hope 

 therefore to be able to give further information on the subject in our 

 Eeport to the British Association. 



In recording this latest discovery of the remains of the great 

 deer, it is of interest to recall the fact that the first specimen to 

 have been set up, if not, indeed, the firsi almost perfect skeleton 

 found, is that now at Edinburgh, which was found at Ballaugh in 

 the Isle of Man in 1819. Altogether we have been able to trace 

 remains of about twelve individuals, and possibly more may yet be 

 met with, so that a herd of this noble beast must have existed here 

 after the kingdom of Man became an island. It is more easy to 

 account for its disappearance in so small an area than for its original 

 presence ; the best explanation of the latter being that suggested to 

 the writer by Mr. G. W. Lamplugh — that it had crossed over on 

 the ice. 



It is somewhat remarkable that no other contemporary remains 

 have been met with, unless we may now except Equns caballus, 

 some bones of which we found at Close-y-garey. From their 

 appearance Professor Boyd-Dawkins thinks these may possibly be 

 of the same age : most unfortunately they were only met with 

 where the soil had been disturbed, but they at least suggest 

 grounds for further search, which I hope we may be able to 

 undertake in the near future. 



VI. — Notes on the Rkd-Dber, Cekvus elaphus, Linn.^ 

 By G. Pringle Hughes, Esq. 



THE Red-Deer {Cervus elaphus), or common stag, is a native of 

 the more temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. 

 In Great Britain it has its freedom limited to the Highlands of 

 Scotland, where, however, it is carefully protected, and affords the 

 creme de la creme of British field-sports to the practised rifleman 

 and mountaineer.'' 



In early English History, when the marauding disposition of tlie 

 people made cattle a precarious property, the wild deer, which 

 depastured the country in large numbers, afforded the staple article 

 of food. Large hunting parties were collected, and as many as 

 1,000 stags are recorded as having been taken at one of these 

 gatherings.^ 



The true stag and deer are at once distinguished by the presence 

 of deciduous branching antlers in the n)ale, the female being in nearly 



1 Read before the British Association, Toronto, in Section D (Zoology), 1897. 



2 The shooting of some of the deer forests, of from 25,000 to 35,000 acres, is let 

 for between £3,000 and £4,00n per annum. 



^ The ballad of Chevy Chase records such a wholesale slaughter,^ though the 

 history of field-sports relieves the statement of any suspicion of poetic license. 



