140 
THE KEIX-DEEtS. 
the Norwegians making a sudden irruption into tlie 
Swedish territories, an officer was despatched, witii 
a sledge and single deer, to convey the intelligence 
to Stockholm. The distance, 124 Swedish, or 800 
English miles, was performed in forty-eight liours ; 
but the deer dropped down lifeless on its arrival. * 
This relation of speed is always spoken of as a cer- 
tainly authenticated feet ; but we cannot help sus- 
pecting that there is some error in the time ; both 
the time and distance appear incredible ; and, at all 
events, it will prove the exception to the general rate 
of speed. Sir Aithur de Capel Brooke observed, that 
a deer can easily trot ten miles, and perhaps gallop 
nearly double the space in an hour, if put to extreme 
speed ; but he would be unable to keep it up longer. 
That traveller has also given the details of a race, in- 
stituted for the purpose of ascertaining the compara- 
tive speed ; and, as the details are short and simple, 
we shall insert them : — Four deer were used ; the 
first accomplished 5397 Paris feet in six minutes ; 
the second performed the same distance in seven 
minutes thirty seconds ; the others were distanced. 
This race was performed while the snow was deep, 
and consequently a considerable impediment to the 
running. Another experiment was afterwards tried 
on more favourable ground. The first deer per- 
formed 3089 feet 8 inches in two minutes, being at 
the rate of nearly nineteen miles in an hour, and 
Capel Brooke, p. 10.5. 
