94 
ELK. 
This animal, according to Richardson, does not extend its range farther 
to the north than the 56th or 57th parallel of latitude, nor is it found to 
the eastward of a line drawn from the south end of Lake Winnepeg to 
the Saskatchewan in the 103d degree of longitude, and from thence till it 
strikes the Elk river in the 111th degree. It is found on the western 
prairies, and ranges along the eastern sides of the mountains in Texas 
and New Mexico, It is also found in Oregon and California. Its most 
southern geographical range still remains undetermined. 
GENERAL REMARKS. 
The family of Elks was by all our old authors placed in the same genus 
with the true deer, (Cervus,) to which they are very closely allied in their 
character and habits. As that genus however has been greatly enlarged 
in consequence of the discovery of new species, the deer have been conve- 
niently divided into several sub-genera, of which our species is the lar- 
gest and most interesting among the true Elks (Elaphus). 
The American Elk, Wappite, or Stag, was for a long period considered 
identical with the European red deer, (C. Elaphus^ and was, we believe, 
first treated as a distinct species by Ray. It was subsequently noticed by 
Jefferson and described and figured in the Medical Repository. The dif- 
ference between these two species is so great that they may be distin- 
guished at a glance. Our Elk is fully a foot higher at the shoulders than 
the European red stag. The common stag or red deer is of a uniform 
blackish brown, whilst the Elk has alt its upper parts and lower jaw yel- 
lowish brown. It has also a black mark on the angle of the mouth which 
is wanting in the other. In the European species the circle around the 
eye is white, in the American it is brown. There are other marks of dif- 
ference which it is unnecessary to point out, as the species are now re- 
garded by all naturalists as distinct. 
Our esteemed friend Dr. Riohardson has applied to this species the name 
of Cervus strongyloceros of Sohreber, because the figure of Perrault 
(Mem. sur les an. vol. 2, p. 45) did not exhibit the pale mark on the rump, 
and he thought it not improbable that Perrault’s figure was that of the 
black-tailed deer {Cervus macrotis). We do not believe that the latter spe- 
cies ever reaches the latitude where Perraolt’s specimen was procured ; 
but as we have already stated in this article, younger specimens of our 
Elk exhibit only faint traces of this pale mark on the rump, and in some 
they are entirely wanting. We have scarcely a doubt that Ray’s de- 
scription was intended to apply to our American Elk, and we have there- 
fore adopted his specific name. 
