1902.] VARIATION OF THE ELK. ,359 



I have seen many antlers which might be teimed degenerate. 

 The cause of this degeneration ma}'' in some cases be insufficient 

 food and pooi- pasture, but oftener still in-breeding and excessive 

 hunting, oi- inadequate game-laAvs. Frequently all the adult stags 

 are shot, so that young males are allowed to breed, which naturally 

 results in weak offspring. In some places it is permitted to kill 

 hinds during the shooting-season, althoiigh unlawful to harm 

 the fawns, despite the fact that a fawn of which the mother 

 has been killed will be weak and degenerate. There is thus little 

 wonder that a degenerate stock with small antlers is produced 

 in such districts. This, however, is quite different from claiming 

 all "cervine" and "intermediate" antlers as degenerate. Such a 

 statement is at once disproved by the measurements given above. 



The '• cervine " and " intermediate " antlers may i-ightly be 

 . termed productsof spontaneous variation (not of degeneration), and 

 a glance at many of them i-eveals the fact that this A'ariation, in a 

 certain sense at least, has gone in a particular direction. The 

 antlers of the Elk are chiefly used as weapons against rivals during 

 the rutting- sea son. It is thei-efore appai-ent that the long sharp 

 tines of the " cei'vine " and " intermediate " types will be more 

 usefiil for fighting than the comparatively short points of the 

 extremely ]ialmated type. The bayonet-like and foi-wardly- 

 directed anterioi- tines of the formei' are especially formidable ; and 

 it will be evident that the liest-armed animal w^ill be victorious, 

 and that when the f oi-m of the antlers becomes hereditary in certain 

 localities, Elk with " cervine " antlers must dominate over those 

 with " intei'mediate " antlei-s. At the last exhibition in Stockholm 

 (1902) of antlers, from the period 1897-1901, this was proved by a 

 collection of thirteen paii's of heads from eastern Upland, twelve 

 of which were perfectly " cervine,", although the thirteenth 

 was liroadly palmated. From Yestmanland, again, there was a 

 collection of antlers, chiefly of the " intermediate " type, with 

 narrow palmation and long points. If such family groiips live 

 isolated through many generations, it is possible that theii' 

 cliaracteristics would become constant, but as yet they ai'C not ; 

 and since Elk, especially Avhen disturbed, often wander from one 

 ti-act to anothei', isolation cannot be effected in districts where 

 they ai'e not yet too scarce \ The Swedish Elk with all its 

 variations thus constitutes only one species, although possibilities 

 seem to exist for the origin of different racial types. 



Considering the nature of the "cervine" type of elk-antlers, 

 it might in a certain sense be said that it is atavistic, since 

 i-ounded tines are more primitive than a bi-oad palmation. But, 

 on the other hand, the antlers classed above as "cervine" may 

 be regarded as forming a. continuous and direct development of 

 the immature type displayed by the young elk, which in its 

 thii-d year- normally carries only a fork on each side. It is also 

 important to note that Elk show a strong tendency to continue 



' At present Elk are fairly nnnierous in Sweden, as may be gathered from tlie fact 

 that last year during- the shooting-season more than 2400 were killed. 



