Introductory 



several crop the leaves of water-lilies and other aquatic plants. Sambar 

 and the chital do much damage to growing rice-crops, as do some of 

 the South American brockets to plantations of cocoa and nutmeg. 

 The reindeer alone subsists during winter more or less exclusively on 

 lichens and moss, which it obtains by scraping away the covering of snow 

 with its hoofs. 



Economic Uses. — From a commercial and economical point of view deer 

 arc of more importance than is often considered the case. The uses of the 

 reindeer to the Laps and other northern races are familiar to all; these 

 animals affording meat, milk, and clothing, and likewise serving for draught 

 and the carrying of burdens. The elk was also formerly trained to go in 

 harness, and is then capable of performing long journeys at a high rate of 

 speed. Antlers of various species are manufactured into the handles of 

 knives, walking-sticks, and hunting-crops, and were formerly used as a 

 source of ammonia ; while they are still extensively employed as medicine 

 by the Chinese. Much more important is the use of the skins of deer for 

 leather, as will be apparent from the following figures taken from Mr. H. 

 Poland's Fur-bearing Animals. It is there stated that from 80,000 to 

 100,000 skins of the American wapiti are annually imported for this 

 purpose ; of elk a few hundred Russian skins from time to time make their 

 appearance in the London market, and in 1890 over 900 skins of this species 

 were offered for sale. The pelts of Virginian and mule-deer are imported 

 in large quantities into London, and again exported to Germany, where 

 they are used in the manufacture of leggings for the Bavarian peasants, in 

 one year no less than 227,000 skins being imported. The import of reindeer 

 skins reaches several thousands annually, some of which are made into 

 leather gloves. The trade in the antlers of this species is also very large, 

 Denmark importing about 30,000 from Greenland and 8000 from Russia 

 annually ; they realise from about £13 to £14 per ton. A trade in reindeer 

 tongues, which formerly attained considerable importance, seems to have 

 almost ceased on account of the low prices obtained in England. Of 

 chital skins no less than 53,922 were sold in London during 1891. 

 These pelts make most excellent leather, and are now almost exclusively 

 used for this purpose, their value varying from six to seven shillings each. 

 A few are, however, worked up into foot-muffs and other articles by the 

 London furriers. Of the antlers of this and perhaps other Indian species 



