34 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



subject appeared in the new edition of Couch's * Cornish Fauna,' which 

 appeared in 1878. In this volume the information on Vertebrate Animals 

 was brought up to date by different specialists ; the Mammals being under- 

 taken by Mr. Brooking Rowe, the Birds by Rodd, and the Reptiles and 

 Fishes by Cornish. Since that date (1878) Mr. Cornish lost no opportunity 

 of supplementing that publication by additional notes on various species 

 which he communicated from time to time to this Journal, and which will be 

 fresh in the recollection of many. As a useful corrrespondent in the west 

 of England, he will be much missed by our readers. 



MAMMALIA. 



Alleged Antipathy of Cattle to Deer.— With reference to the doubt 

 expressed in the last number of 'The Zoologist ' (1890, p. 453) as to the 

 statement on this subject, contained in the ' British Association Report, 

 1887,' on the Wild Cattle, may T, as the compiler of that Report, give the 

 following explanation of the passage? Various members of the Committee 

 contributed notes on one or other of the herds, and amongst these were 

 some interesting items concerning the Chillingham herd, sent by Canon 

 Tristram, written on the spot, which may be considered as sufficient guarantee 

 of authenticity. Tn these notes the following passage occurs: — "Some 

 Red-deer have been introduced, which associate and feed with the cattle 

 on the most friendly terms. But they never will tolerate Fallow-deer or 

 sheep in the park, probably because they eat the pasture too close, or they 

 did not remember them as inhabitants in the palaeolithic ages." The last 

 part of the sentence was of course written in joke ; but if I had been 

 writing for myself only I should have omitted the whole passage, as I am 

 unable to agree with it, having visited all the herds (except the two domes- 

 ticated herds in Norfolk) ; and Chillingham I have visited on two separate 

 occasions, sleeping each time in the immediate neighbourhood, so as not to 

 be limited to a flying visit. Being, however, the mouthpiece of the Com- 

 mittee, I did not consider myself at liberty to omit the passage altogether, 

 especially as the statement was made by so distinguished a naturalist as 

 Canon Tristram. I did, however, modify it so far as I felt justified in 

 doing. The statement that the Red-deer "have beeu introduced" was 

 also a surprise to me. Perhaps, while I am on the subject of this Report, 

 I may mention one other point. It will be noticed by anyone having a copy 

 of the Report, as published by the British Association, that there are four 

 short paragraphs at the beginning, which are omitted in ■ The Zoologist ' 

 edition. These touch upon the probable origin of the herds of park 

 eattle; the probability (judging from such shreds of evidence as can be 

 scraped together) seeming to me entirely in favour of these herds not being 

 descended directly from the buge Wild Urus, but rather from domesticated 

 animals, or possibly fend cattle. Canon Tristram, however, being possibly 



