THE MAMMALIAN FAUNA OF CHESHIRE. 215 



disposition and their untamable nature, as well as in many of 

 their habits, these cattle resembled those of the more widely 

 known Chillingham herd. Further and more detailed accounts of 

 the Lyme cattle have been given by Storer (op. cit. pp. 245-253), 

 Mr. A. H. Cocks (Zool. 1878, pp. 277-279), and Chas. Oldham 

 (Zool. 1891, pp. 81-87). The following account is given by 

 Storer (op. cit. p. Ill) of a herd which formerly existed at Vale 

 Royal, near Northwich : — " Here was an ancient domesticated 

 herd of white cattle with red ears, which, though now crossed out 

 and extinct, was kept up, partially pure only, in the time of the 

 late Lord [Delamere] . They are supposed to have belonged to 

 the Abbey ; and a singular tradition, the truth of which the late 

 Lady Delamere believed she had verified, was prevalent, to the 

 effect that some of Cromwell's troopers drove off most of them, 

 but that one cow, after having been driven with the rest seven or 

 eight miles, escaped from them and returned home. They were 

 white with red ears, and were in all probability derived from North 

 Wales, as from thence the original monks of Vale Royal came." 



Family Cervid^e. 



Cervus elaphiis, L. ; Red Deer. — Remains of this species have 

 been found in the bed of the Manchester Ship Canal at Wallasey, 

 Rostherne Mere, and elsewhere, and there is abundant docu- 

 mentary evidence to show that it was formerly common in the 

 Cheshire forests. At the present time herds of Red-deer exist 

 in three parks in the county. In Lord Newton's park at Lyme 

 there are about 170 head of rather small but stoutly-built deer, 

 and there is little doubt that they are the descendants of those 

 originally emparked. The average weight of the stags in this 

 park is 220 lbs., and the hinds 120 lbs. From 80 to 90 head are 

 kept in Lord Egerton's park at Tatton ; and about 30 head at 

 Doddington, the seat of Sir Henry Delves Broughton, Bart, (see 

 Whitaker, * Descriptive List of the Deer Parks and Paddocks of 

 England,' 1892, pp. 28—32). Mr. J. E. Harting writes:— 



" In your account of the Red-deer which are maintained at 

 the present time in Cheshire parks, I think it would be of interest 

 to refer to a curious custom which was observed in the last century 

 at Lyme. In this park, 1700 acres in extent, the deer in summer 

 time used to be collected in a herd and driven across a pool before 

 the house, in order that while swimming they might be the more 



