42 



RECORDS OF BIG GAME 



of Central Asia, is the home of this fine species of deer, which was 

 originally described by the late Colonel Przewalski under the name 

 given above. Subsequently two examples were obtained by Dr. W. G. 

 Thorold, to the north-east of Lhasa, at an elevation of between i 3,000 

 and 14,000 feet, which, under the impression that they indicated a 

 new species, were named C. thoroldi by Mr. W. T. Blanford. 



^ Bought at Darjiling, tliither brought by Tibetans. 



TRUE WAPITI (Cervus canadensis). 



Wapiti are very large deer of the red deer group, easy of recogni- 

 tion by the form of their antlers, which are of great size, carrying more 

 than five tines, curving backwards, and much flattened in the upper 

 half They always have the bez tine developed, but their most charac- 

 teristic feature is the great size of the fourth tine, which is larger than 

 either of the others, and with the fifth, which is also long, forms a nearly 

 straight fork ; the fourth, fifth, and sixth tines being situated almost in 

 the plane of the portion of the beam immediately below them, so that 

 they more or less completely hide one another when viewed from the 

 front aspect. The brow tine rises close to the burr, and is nearly as 

 long as the bez. The tail is extremely short, the light tail-patch very 

 large ; and the neck and under parts are blackish, the general colour of 

 the summer coat being yellowish brown on the upper-parts. 



Wapiti (known in America as Elk) range from North America to 

 North-Eastern and Central Asia ; the typical form being the East 

 American wapiti {C. canadensis typicus), in which the legs are com- 

 paratively short, and the portion of the antlers above the fourth tine is 

 fully developed, the height at the shoulder reaching to about 5 feet 4 

 inches, and the weight from 700 to looo lbs. On the other hand, the 

 West American wapiti (C canadensis occidentalism differs by the abortion 

 of the upper part of the antlers, the darker colour, and lighter build. 



