PREFACE 



Many groups of animals are of interest chiefly or solely to the naturalist, 

 but those coming under the designation of big game claim a much more 

 extensive list of admirers. And among these the members of the deer tribe 

 occupy not the least important position. Not only are the majority objects 

 of eager pursuit to the sportsman, but three are denizens of our larger 

 British parks, and two of these are the only British representatives of big 

 game. Moreover, many of them are capable of more or less complete 

 acclimatisation in this country, and in that condition add largely to the 

 attractions of our deer parks. 



It is now many years since a complete monograph of the existing 

 members of the group has appeared, among the latest being one by the 

 late Sir Victor Brooke in 1878, and a second by the late Dr. L. J. Fitzinger, 

 which, although commenced in 1873, was not completed till 1879. Since 

 these dates several new species have been described, and much revision of 

 others, as well as of the general grouping, has taken place. And the present 

 volume is an attempt to bring up to date the existing state of our knowledge 

 of an exceedingly difficult group. Although the author has availed himself 

 of all the accessible means of information, there are still many points 

 requiring further elucidation, and much is necessarily left for future 

 investigation. 



Since the author is a palaeontologist first and a zoologist second, he could 

 not treat the subject without some reference to the extinct members of the 

 family. Many of these, however, have been named on the evidence of such 

 unsatisfactory fragments that nothing would be gained by their mention 



