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to the Emperor Charles V., of Germany, who, in describing 
the well-known animals of Prussia, mentions a species of 
Deer the height of a middle-sized horse, with very large 
horns, which was evidently becoming scarce and little 
known, and in order that no doubt might remain of its being 
an inhabitant of the wilds or marshes of Prussia, he ordered 
a drawing to be made from nature of this animal, which 
accompanied his work ; as also a representation, expressly 
made for him in Prussia, of the northern Elk, the form of 
whose horns he accurately describes : he also mentions 
another Deer, many of whose horns were to be seen among 
the Augsburg merchants, said to be imported from England, 
which is supposed to be the Fallow Deer. Munster's 
authority in this instance, however, is considered of no value 
by some authors, from the circumstance that like most early 
writers, he indulged in the 'belief of the marvellous. I do 
not wish it, however, to be supposed that I am insisting on 
the Megaceros and Munster's Deer having been identical ! 
By no means ! But having quoted his testimony, I feel with 
Dr. Hibbert, that we ought not to be too severe in our 
criticisms on his labours as a natural historian, since it 
really does not appear we can bring positive evidence that 
our animal had ceased to exist. 
Professor Goldfuss, in searching the records of his country, 
points to a verse in the very ancient and celebrated poem of 
the Niebelungen, where, in the description of a hunting 
match in the forest of Worms, the hero Sifrid slays, accord- 
ing to the earliest or St. Gall manuscript, the Urus, the 
Bison, the Elk, and a fourth animal, a fierce Schelch, which 
he considers is the Megaceros ; some commentators have 
referred it to the Stag, but as this supposition is not based 
upon any authority derived from other works, it is quite as 
reasonable to accede to the Professor's idea, more especially 
as the ancient Teutonic names of the Elk were what they 
