204 ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS 



December 9. 



" Part of the banks on both sides of the pond have sunk 

 nearly two feet perpendicularly last night." 



Saturday, December 25. 



" A spring at the end of the lake was at the temperature of 

 47 F., when the bulb was immersed 3 or 4 inches. The 

 spring has only made its appearance since the sinking of the 

 banks of the pond, which appears to be owing to the absence 

 of the water, which prevented the soft moss from being displaced 

 by the weight of the earth above it, on the banks." 



I have the greater part of the skeleton referred to in 

 this note. It was partially set up b}^ my father at the 

 time. Some of the members may remember having seen 

 it when at Smeaton. The head, a royal of twelve points, 

 is remarkably symmetrical and widespread. The following, 

 are the measurements: — No. of points, 12; outside span, 

 42^ inches ; inside span, 32i inches ; round base, 8| inches. 

 The cup is well defined, but small. This cup is a very 

 characteristic specialisation of the western race of red 

 deer, and is found to decrease as we go east into Asia, 

 where the cup is small, or absent. The red deer apparently 

 originated in Central Asia, and may perhaps have had 

 for its ancestor the less specialised Sikine deer. Cervus 

 Elaphus apparently divided into four branches, one going 

 west into Europe, and becoming the ancestor of our red 

 deer. Two races of Wapitis remain in Central and North- 

 eastern Asia, and a fourth crossed by what is now Bering 

 Straits, to become the American Wapiti. 



Another pair of horns, slightly damaged, but with 

 apparently nineteen points, with the cups very largely 

 developed, is also in ray possession. Being anxious to 

 compare the measurements with other heads from similar 

 sources, I applied to my friend, Mr Eagle Clarke, at the 

 Museum in Edinburgh, and was not a little surprised to 

 hear that they have no specimens from Scottish bogs. 



