52 C E R 
higheft mountains during fummer, and defcend into the 
defert plains in winter, from which they are again driven 
to the mountains in the fummer to efcape from the perfe¬ 
ction of various infefts. They feed much on a fpecies 
of liver-wort called from them lichen rangifjprinus, efpe- 
cially in winter, when they have to dig it out with their 
feet from below the fnow, under which it lies buried. 
The male cads his horns immediately after the rutting fea- 
fon, about the end of November; and the female, which 
has horns like the male, though not fo large, preferves 
hers till the middle of May, when lhe drops her fawns. 
She goes thirty-three weeks with young, and frequently 
has twins. In a domedicated date, the rein deer rarely 
exceeds dxteen years of age. When cadrated, the male 
feldom lofes his horns till nine years old. In a domeftic 
itate they are about three feet high, but the wild animals 
grow larger, fometimes four and a half feet at the Ihoulder. 
The horns of the rein deer, though long, are rather flen- 
der; the beams are very long, bend fird a little backward, 
are then gradually curved, and the palms at the ends 
dand forwards ; the brow antlers rile from the main 
beams clofe to the head, have fhort beams, broad palms, 
and numerous fnags; and generally over thefe a branch 
riles from each main beam, which projedls forwards, and 
is fomewhai pal mated at the end, with feveral fnags. The 
upper parts of the body are of a brown afli colour, grow¬ 
ing gradually lighter with age, till it becomes white at 
lad; the fpace round the mouth, the whole under parts 
of the body, and the tail, are white ; the orbits are fur- 
rounded with black; the fur is very thickly let, and on 
the fore part of the neck it is long and pendent; the tail 
is very Ihort; the hoofs are large and concave ; the male 
prepuce is much pendent ; the female has lix teats, the 
two poderiorof which are impervious. To the Laplan¬ 
ders it is a fubditute for the horfe, the cow, the goat, and 
the Iheep; and is their only wealth. The milk of the 
rein aft'ords themcheele ; the flelh, food ; the Ikin, cloth¬ 
ing ; the tendons, bow-fixings ; and, when fplit, thread ; 
the horns, glue ; the bones, fpoons. During the winter 
it fupplies the want of a horfe, and draws their (ledges 
with amazing fwiftnefs over the frozen lakes and rivers ; 
or over the fnow, which at that feafon covers the whole 
country. In running it makes a great clatter with the col- 
lifion of the fpurious hoofs, which are large and loofe. 
It does not gallop in the manner reprefented by Mr. Rid- 
inger, in the 35th plate of his Wilden Thiere ; but has a 
rapid running pace. A rich Laplander is poflefled of a 
herd of 1000 reins. In autumn they feek the higlied 
hills, to avoid the Lapland gadfly, which at that feafon 
depolits its eggs in their fkin; and is the ped of thefe 
animals, for numbers' die that are thus vifited. The mo¬ 
ment a lingle fly appears, the whole herd inftantly per¬ 
ceives it: they fling up their heads, tofs about their 
horns, and at once attempt to fly for fhelter amidfl the 
lnows on the loftied Alps. 
4. Cervus Dama, the fallow deer; with the horns 
compreffed, branched, and bending forwards; having 
their extremities palmated. It inhabits Europe, and Afia 
as far as the northern parts of Perfia and China, Greece, 
and Palelline, being the Jachmurof the Scriptures. This 
fpecies is not fo plentiful or univerfal as the ftag; few are 
now found wild in Britain; but numbers are kept in 
parks, of which it forms the common flock. The colour 
varies, being fometimes reddifh, fometimes deep brown, 
frequently fpotted with white or grey, and rarely altoge¬ 
ther white. It is gregarious, feeding always in flocks; is 
very eafily confined to parks, and very readily made tame; 
?t feldom lives above twenty years. The doe, or female, 
has no horns, goes eight months with young, and brings 
only one fawn in general, feldom two, and hardly ever 
three, at a birth. Though they leap remarkably well, 
yet they may either be kept in an inclofure, or fenced out 
by means of a cord fixed horizontally two or three feet 
above the ground. 
5. Cervus Elaphus, the flag; diflinguilhed by long, 
V u s. 
rounded, upright, branched, horns. Of this there are fe¬ 
veral varieties; as the maned or German dag, with along 
fliaggy mane on the lower part of the neck; the Corfican 
dag, with draight antlers; the Canadian dag, with very 
large horns; the Chinefe dag, &c. Thefe feveral varie¬ 
ties inhabit Europe, Barbary, the north of Afia as far as 
Japan, and North America. The colour is generally a 
reddilh brown, with fome black about the face, and a 
black lid down the hind part of the neck and between the 
Ihoulders. In fpring, they died their horns, which fall 
ofl’ fpontaneoufly, or by rubbing them againdthe branch¬ 
es of trees. It is feldom that both horns fall ofl’ at the 
fame time, the one generally preceding the other a day 
or two. The old flags cad their horns fird, which hap¬ 
pens about the end of February or beginning of March. 
An 2ged dag, or one in his feventh year^or upwards, 
does not cad his horns before the middle of March; adag 
oi fix years lheds his horns in April; young flags, or thofe 
from three to five years old, died their horns in the be¬ 
ginning, and thofe which are in their fecond year not 
till the middle or end, of May. But in all this there is 
much variety; for old flags fometimes cad their horns 
foonerthan thofe which are younger. Befides, the (bed¬ 
ding of the horns is advanced by a mild, and retarded by 
a fevere and long, winter. When the dags have cad their 
horns, they feparate from each other, the young ones on¬ 
ly keeping together- They no longer haunt the deep re¬ 
cedes of the fored, but advance into the cultivated coun¬ 
try, and remain among brudiwood during the fummer, 
till their horns are renewed. In this feafon, they walk 
with their heads low, to prevent their new horns from, 
rubbing againd the branches; for they continue to have 
fgnfibility till they acquire their full growth. The horns 
of the oldefl dags are not half completed in the middle of 
May, and acquire not their full length and hardnefs be¬ 
fore the end of July. Thofe of the younger flags are 
proportionally later both in flredding and being renewed. 
Soon after they have recovered their horns, they begin to 
feel the imprellions of love. Towards the end of AuguA 
or beginning of September, they leave the coppice, return 
to the forefls, and fearch for the hinds. They cry with a 
loud voice; their neck and throat fwell; they become 
perferily redlels, and traverfe in open day the fields and 
the fallow grounds; they flrike their horns againd trees 
and hedges; in a word, they feem to be tranfported with 
fury, and run from one fored to another, till they find 
the female, whom they purfue and compeLinto compli¬ 
ance; for the female at fird avoids and flies from the male, 
and never fubmits till lhe be fatigued with the purfuit. 
The did hinds likewife come in feafon before the younger 
ones. When two dags approach the fame hind, they 
ufually fight before they enjoy. If nearlyequal in drength, 
they threaten, paw the ground, fet up terrible cries, and 
attack each other with fuch fury, that they often inflict 
mortal wounds with the flrokes of their horns. The 
combat never terminates but in the defeat or flight of one 
of the rivals. The conqueror lofes not a moment in en¬ 
joying his viftory, unlefs another rival approaches, whom 
he is again obliged to attach and repel. The .oldefl dags 
are always maflers of the field; becaufe they are dronger 
and more furious than the young ones, who wait pa¬ 
tiently till their fuperiors tire, and quit their miflrefles. 
Sometimes, however, the young dags accomplilh their 
defires while the old ones are fighting, and, after a hafly 
gratification, fly ofl’. The hinds prefer the old dags, not 
becaufe they are mod courageous, but becaufe they are 
mod ardent. They are likewife more incondant, having 
often feveral females at a time; and, when a flag has but 
one hind, his attachment to her does not continue above 
a few days : he then leaves her, goes in quefl of another, 
with whom he remains a dill lhorter time; and in this 
manner he pafles from one to another till he is perfectly 
exhauded. This paroxyfm of love lalts only three weeks, 
during which the dags take very little food, and neither 
deep nor reft. Night and day they are either walking, 
running. 
