HIPPOPOTAMUSES, PIGS, AND DEER 315 



its original home. The probability is, however, that in the early- 

 part of the Pleistocene period a species of fallow deer very like the 

 one above mentioned (Brown's) developed under very favourable 

 circumstances in Central Europe into a deer of considerable size ; 

 no doubt in the absence of rivalry with the red deer type, which 

 had not at that time developed from the Sikas, or taken complete 

 possession of the temperate regions of Central Europe. This 

 enormous fallow deer migrated westwards, and in France and 

 England assumed the form we designate as the Forest Bed race — 

 Cervus giganteus carnutorum. This is apparently the same form 

 as Cervus verticornis and C. dawkinsi, the horns of these deer 

 only offering such variation from the French form C. g. carnu- 

 torum as is explicable by local variation, or the different age of 

 the antlers. In Germany the gigantic faUow deer assumed a 

 type which we know as Cervus giganteus ruffi. In RufFs deer 

 the antlers are smaller and less palmated than in the British race. 

 In Italy, however, and not in Britain, may be found the earliest 

 link between the fallow deer and the gigantic form ; for in that 

 country and in Hungary the Cervus giganteus was not much 

 larger than the red deer, the antlers were comparatively simple, 

 with narrow palmation ; but the back twist of the horns, which 

 almost brings the outer surface of the " palms " into sight from 

 the front and not from the side, and some other features, rather 

 point to a case of degeneration. The Cervus giganteus was also 

 represented in France by ,the variety called belgrandi, but this 

 form is hardly separable from the form described as carnutorum 

 {dawkinsi, verticornis'). 



But the grandest development took place in Britain and 

 Ireland. Cervus giganteus typicus, the typical Megaceros, or 

 Gigantic Irish deer, was probably developed first in England. 

 It also spread to the north-west of Scotland. From here it 

 passed over to Ireland, where, partly owing, no doubt, to 

 the absence or scarcity of man, and to the non-existence of great 

 Carnivores, such as the lion and sabre-tooth, it had the whole 

 island or the Hibernian Peninsula to itself, and reached its acme 

 of magnificent development. It will be noticed that there is 



