274 MOSTLY MAMMALS 
Till the year 1865 naturalists had no idea as to the 
species of deer to be found in the Non Hai-tzu, the 
Anglo-French expedition of 1860 having confined their 
attention to Peking and the Yuangming Yuan. In February 
of the former year, however, the well-known French 
missionary, explorer, and naturalist, Pére Armand David, 
obtained an opportunity of looking over the wall, and was 
much astonished at the sight which met his eyes. In 
addition to Mongolian gazelles, he saw herds of a species 
of deer which he then regarded as an unknown kind of 
reindeer, although he described it as somewhat donkey- 
like in appearance, with a long well-haired tail. At that 
season of the year the stags were without antlers. At 
this time the energetic missionary was quite unable to 
obtain a specimen of the new deer, but by bribing the 
Tatar guards of the park he succeeded, in January of the 
following year, in acquiring the skins of a stag and hind. 
Meantime the French Minister. at Peking had been en- 
deavouring to procure a living pair of this deer by 
diplomatic means, and in February of that year succeeded 
in his efforts. The stag, however, unfortunately died soon 
after its removal from the park, and its skin was sent to 
Paris with those of the two specimens obtained from the 
Tatar guards. 
When these specimens arrived at the Paris Museum 
they were examined by Prof. Milne-Edwards, who in due 
course described them as representing a new genus and 
species of deer, under the name of Elaphurus davidianus. 
By the Chinese, it may be well to mention, the animal is 
known by the name of mi-lou, or, more commonly, sen- 
pou-siang. 
The accompanying photograph gives an excellent idea 
of the external appearance of the stags of this very 
