740 A general Review of the Species of [No. 1 17. 



decidedly more the contour of the Wapiti than others, being lower upon, 

 and not so fine in the limbs ; as is well exemplified by two Common 

 Stags that were living in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, at the 

 time I left London, near the end of April, 1841. 



The full grown Wapiti, like other true Stags, sheds its antlers 

 either late in February, or (the majority) during March : in less than 

 a month, the new have attained a foot in length, and continue to grow 

 with surprising rapidity, at one time, above an inch and a half per day; 

 but the growth slackens as they advance towards completion and 

 solidify, being not finished before August ; the velvet shreds off in 

 September, when the rutting epoch commences, and lasts through the 

 following month ; the period of gestation is rather more than eight 

 months, (as I was informed at the Zoological Society's Garden, and not 

 so much as nine months, as has been asserted) ; being about the same, 

 accordingly, as that of the European hind ; and the young, either one 

 or (in the wald state) commonly two in number, and in case of twins 

 (which would appear to happen much oftener than in the British Red 

 Deer) generally male and female, being accordingly dropped — a few at 

 the end of May, but the majority in June. Colonel Smith noticed, that 

 the medial and basal tines of the antlers of this species " seem to be 

 instruments of use ; for, with them, when a small dead pine, or a bar 

 of a split fence, sixteen or eighteen feet long, lies in their way, they 

 will lift and toss it clear over their heads." Possessing these appendages, 

 they make such incidental use of them ; but we are not to suppose 

 that their antlers were designed for purposes of this kind. 



The wild Wapiti, notwithstanding its great size, is as timorous as 

 any other Deer ; except, as usual, during the rutting excitement, when 

 it is dangerous to approach the males. It inhabits the greater part 

 of North America, but " does not extend its range," according to 

 Dr. Richardson, " further to the north than the 56th or 57th degree of 

 latitude, nor (in the fur countries) is it found to the eastward of a 

 line drawn from the south end of Lake Winnipeg to the Saskatchewan, 

 in the 103d degree of longitude, and from thence till it reaches the 

 Elk River, in the 111th degree. To the south of Lake Winnipeg, it 

 may perhaps extend further to the eastward." Messrs. Lewis and Clark, 

 in their arduous expedition to the source of the Missouri, and thence 

 to the shore, of the Pacific, encountered the Wapiti in considerable 



