THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
and are very difficult to get, as they are reluctant to break cover even when 
dogs are employed. Early morning and late evening would probably be the 
only time to get a chance at them and I never actually visited the locality 
they were said to inhabit. 
Pfere David’s deer ( Elaphurus davidianus ; native name, Hie-lou). No 
volume dealing with the larger mammals of China would be complete 
without some mention of this extraordinary animal. In the wild state it 
is unknown at the present day. The only living specimens are those pre- 
served at Woburn Abbey. A herd of these deer were kept for a long time in 
the Imperial park at Peking, but they all perished, the last survivors being 
killed during the Boxer rising. It differs from other varieties of deer in 
the maned neck of the stags, the long, bushy tail, and in captivity, at any 
rate, in the case of the younger males, the antlers are frequently shed twice 
a year. These are unmistakable, with the long posterior antler, bifurcated 
front prong, and absence of brow tines. The stags stand about 45 inches 
at the shoulder, and, as might be expected from their large spreading 
hoofs, are fond of marshy places and swim readily. They call in June 
and July, the note being a kind of bray. The horns are dropped in 
November and December. The colour is uniformly tawny in the adult; 
the young are spotted. The closest affinities of this species seem to be 
with the American deer. 
Roe deer ( Capreolus bedfordi or Capreolus melanotis; native name, Pao-loo) 
are widely distributed throughout China, C. bedfordi being confined to 
Manchuria. The former variety are rather larger than the European form, 
and, though numerous, it is a matter of great difficulty to successfully stalk 
a really first-class head. I saw one and was after him for sixteen days, had 
two stalks, but never got a shot. I could have killed several smaller beasts, 
but I was particularly anxious to get a really good head, so left them for 
fear of disturbing the ground. But that is always the way with the trophy 
one most covets. I was told by Mr A. Purdom, an experienced botanist 
whom I met in China, that there was very good roe ground four days north 
of Sian-fu, the capital of Shensi province. They are plentiful one day’s 
journey from Minchow in Kansu, but their distribution is so great that it 
is unnecessary to identify specific localities. 
The altitude at which they are found varies. I never saw them above 
14,000 feet. Their habits are much the same as those of the European 
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