74 



Elaphine Group 



b. Corsican Race — Cervus elaphus corsicanus 



Cervus elaphus corsicanus, Erxleben, Syst. Regn. Animal, vol. i. p. ^04 

 (»777>- 



Cervus mediterraneus, de Blainville, "Journ. Physique, vol. xciv. p. 262 

 (1822) ; Gervais, Hist. Nat. Mamm. vol. ii. p. 216 (1855). 



Cervus elaphus minor, Fitzinger, SB. Ak. Wien, vol. lxix. part i. p. 575 



(1874). 



Characters. — The smallest race of the species, and according to Sir Victor 

 Brooke connecting the European with the North African race, although 

 Gervais regards it as closely allied to the latter, with which it is identified 

 by M. Lataste. If this latter view be correct, the name corsicanus, as the 

 earlier, must supersede barharus. General colour of the pelage of the upper- 

 parts dark brown, becoming blackish in winter. 



Distribution. — Corsica and Sardinia. Fitzinger, on the authority of 

 Polvbius, states that deer are not indigenous to either of these islands, and 

 were introduced by human agency, but this requires confirmation. 



c. North African Race — Cervus elaphus barbarus 



Cervus barbarus, Bennett, List Anim. Gardens Zool. Soc. p. 31 (1837) ; 

 Gray, Cat. Ungulata Brit. Mus. p. 197 (1852), Cat. 'Ruminants Brit. Mus. 

 p. 68 (1872) ; Sclater, Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vii. p. 344 ( 1 87 1 ) ; Fitzinger, 

 SB. Ak. Wien, vol. lxix. part i. p. 577 (1874). 



Cervus corsicanus, Lataste, Act. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, vol. xxxix. p. 286 

 (1885). 



Characters. — Smaller than the typical, but larger than the Corsican race ; 

 generally lacking the bez-tine to the antlers ; pelage (? summer) dark brown, 

 with a grayish brown streak down the middle of the back, and small 

 irregular whitish spots on the flanks, and sometimes on the back. 



Although formerly living in the menagerie at Knowsley, and in the 

 London and Paris Zoological Gardens, this deer appears to be now very 

 rarely imported, and I have never seen an example. The British Museum 

 possesses several pairs of antlers which are curved forward near the middle 

 of their length somewhat after the manner of those of the shou. Since, 



