Chapter 5

AMERICAN BISON BY THE STAGE IN THE FOREST.

By ascending a high wooden stage erected between some tall firs, we were enabled to obtain an excellent view of the bison on the plain below. The bull displayed some signsof uneasiness by staring fixedly at our party and lashing his tail furiously from side to side; and it was therefore deemed inadvisable to approach him too closely on foot. On a second occasion we enjoyed the opportunity of seeing this magnificent beast enjoy a good roll in the sand, when it was observed that, owingto the height of his hump, he was unable to turn completely over, and had to content himself with half-rolls.

The animal most difficult to come across in the park is the Siberian roebuck; but we were luckily enabled to obtain one glimpse of a fine old buck quietly feeding in thick covert, although he was unfortunately frightened away by a fox-terrier before we could get a full view. The one glimpse was, however, sufficient to show that the summer coat of this species is lighter-coloured than that of the European roebuck, being yellowish fawn in place of rufous. Whether, however, the white rump-patch is developed at this season I was unable to see. Unfortunately, the majority of the Siberian roedeer in the park are bucks. Whether they will cross with the European species remains to be seen.

Of the Yenisei wapiti (of which more anon) it has already been mentioned that we saw two hinds during our first day’s tour. A day later I had the good fortune to come across the stag feeding in the open; but as it was getting dusk, it was difficult to observe his characteristics accurately. Indeed, it is by no means an easy matter to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion as to the specific or sub-specific characters of nearly allied deer when only single specimens are seen by themselves in the open.

Several years ago repeated attempts were made by the Duke of Bedford to acclimatise elk in the park at Woburn; but the experiment proved a total failure; the animals dying off one after another, till it was finally decided to abandon the attempt to establish the species as a denizen of the domain. Much the samething occurred in the case of the American wapiti; the herd of which was, however, kept in an extensive paddock instead of in the open park. In this instance it was likewise decided to be useless, at all events for the present, to attempt to maintain the herd.

In Pilawin, on the other hand, both elk and wapiti flourish remarkably well; and it is confidently anticipated that in the course of three or four years, when the number of stags of each species will have become too great, that elk-hunting and wapiti-shooting will be recognised sports in the preserve.

WAPITI BY THE LAKE.

During the present year the number of elk calves born at Pilawin was no fewer than fourteen, of which at least two were, as already mentioned, twins. During the two or three previous years the inclusive number was ten, so that the progressive increase is verymarked. In all cases which came under my own personal observation the condition of both cows and calves was all that could be desired; and the same holds good with regard to the numerous yearlings and two-year-olds that were seen during our visit.

A BULL ELK.

This highly satisfactory state of affairs may doubtless be attributed to the absolutely natural conditions in which the elk are living, and the practically unlimited area over which they can wander. The existence here and there of large natural and artificial lakes (the latter formed by damming up small streams), coupled with the numerous swampy tracts, makes the forest an ideal one for these animals, and it is evident that they thoroughly appreciate their surroundings. One of the prettiest scenes witnessed during our visit was the sight of a cow elk leading her two calves across the largest and deepest lake with the apparent intention of accustoming them to swim. One of the yearling bull elks (not born on the estate) was in the habit of coming in the evenings close up to the shooting-lodge in order to be fed with bread; and if its wantswere not promptly attended to, would actually put its head in at the open door or window. Close examination of this elk served to convince me more than ever that the glandular tuft on the inner side of the hock corresponds with the similarly placed callosity or “wart”in the horse, and consequently that the latter represents a decadent gland. I also noticed on the forehead, a short distance above the budding antlers, a pair of whorls in the hair, which are not generally mentioned in descriptions of the species, and may likewise be glandular in function.

The length of limb distinctive of elk generally is especially noticeable in immature animals. Compared with other deer, elk at this age may indeed be likened to storks among birds; the length of limb being for the same purpose in both.

That elk and other large species of wild deer require a very extensive area in order not to deteriorate seems to be undoubted. The owner of Pilawin considers, indeed, that the number of head of these animals should be limited to one to every ten acres; while he isalso of opinion that the maximum number of true deer in the preserve should not exceed three hundred head, and that the elk herd should be limited to one hundred.

In summer the main food-supply of the Pilawin elk apparently consists of the leaves of deciduous trees, especially aspen; but in winter this is replaced by the young shoots and twigs of birch, to obtain which the elk are constantly breaking down young saplings. The natural food-supply of the preserve is, however, largely augmented by patches of oats, buckwheat, lupin, potatoes, and Jerusalem artichokes, which are sown or planted in the clearings of the forest wherever the soil is suitable. The buckwheat and oats form summer fodder, while the lupin, potatoes, artichokes, acorns, and horse-chestnuts serve as a winter supply, the deer soon learningto scrape out the tubers from the ground with their hoofs.

WAPITI IN WINTER.

Before leaving the subject of elk, reference may be made to a point in connection with the conformation of their antlers which struck me as the result of an examination of a large series of immature specimens in the Pilawin shooting-lodge.

It has long been recognised that the antlers of elk belong to what is known as the forked type, which occurs typically in such species as the roebuck, Père David’s deer, and the American white-tailed and mule deer. In this type, it may be well to remind the reader, there is no brow or bez tine, and the main beam of the antler divides at a longer or shorter distance above the burr into a single fork, of which the back-prong nearly always divides again, while in many cases both prongs are more or less divided, the greatest complexity occurring, however, very frequently in the hind one.

Hitherto elk-antlers have been regarded as altogethersui generis—mainly on account of the fact that they rise at right angles to the middle line of the skull. But a comparison of immature specimens in which the front prongof the main fork is double with adult antlers of the mule-deer will show that the two are practically identical in type. In both forms the front prong of the main fork is two-tined, while the hind prong carries three tines. The distinction between the two is, in fact, chiefly restricted to the difference in their orientation. In the case of those adult elk in which the antlers assume the characteristic shovel-like form, the resemblance becomes, of course, more or less completely lost.

If this view be correct, it will be advisable to modify the classification of theCervidaeadopted inDeer of All Lands, and to place the elk in the neighbourhood of the roebuck and the mule-deer, with which it agrees in the structure of the foot-skeleton. Moreover, it seems not improbable that the antlers of reindeer are really of the forked (in contradistinctionto the brow-tined) type, and if this be so, that genus must also be placed near the roebuck—an arrangement which would accord with the one proposed many years ago by the late Sir Victor Brooke on the evidence afforded by the structure of the skeleton of the forelimb.

The present opportunity may likewise be taken of referring to two very fine pairs of elk-antlers obtained by Mr. Sokalski in Siberia. Despite the fact of their being palmated, these antlers (which I hope to have the opportunity of describing on a future occasion) may serve to confirm the distinctness of the East Siberian elk (Alces machlis bedfordiae), as they appear to differ in certain details of form from those of European elk.

Returning to the Pilawin deer, the next to be noticed are the American wapiti, which areflourishing fully as well as the elk; the number of fawns born during the year being nine.

Another feature indicating the satisfactory condition of the herd is the large size of the antlers grown by the big stags, of which there are now three; all being imported animals. Of the antlers shed by the two best stags of their year in 1907, the length along the outer curve is in one case forty-four and in the other forty-one inches; while in both instances the antlers are very symmetrically formed, carrying the usual six points a side.

ONE OF THE BEST WAPITI, WITH THE ANTLERS IN VELVET.

In addition to the herd of American wapiti, Count Potocki owns a certain number of the Asiatic representatives of that group, generally known on the estate as “maral,” an extremely misleading designation, which ought to be restricted to the Persian or Eastern race ofthe red deer. Some of these Asiatic wapiti, which were obtained by purchase, belong apparently, as mentioned above, to the race commonly known as the Altai wapiti (Cervus canadensis asiaticus), but for which the nameSayansk wapiti is better. As regards these, beyond the fact that they are in the same excellent condition as the Pilawin deer generally, there is nothing calling for special mention.

Considerable interest attaches, however, to half-a-dozen wapiti (including two fine stags) obtained by one of the Count’s keepers from Krasnoyarsk, on the upper Yenisei, in about long. 93° E. and lat. 56° N.

Compared with the American and the other Asiatic wapiti in Pilawin, these Yenisei deer are darker-coloured in summer; this darkness being specially noticeable in immature hinds, which look almost slate-coloured in summer. The director of the park tells me that another difference is to be found in the more upward extension of the black borders of the light rump-patch, which, in fact, unite anteriorly toform a dorsal stripe. The fawns, too, retain their spots to a comparatively late age, whereas in the Thian Shan wapiti (C. c. songaricus), and possibly also in the Sayansk race, the spotting disappears early.

The antlers of the Yenisei wapiti, as represented by a pair in the Pilawin shooting-lodge and two other pairs in Mr. Sokalski’s house at Pisczow (Pischef), four miles away, are also distinctive. In all three pairs the fourth tine is comparatively small, and bends inward to a certain extent, so as not to lie exactly in the same plane as the two above. In one specimen, at least, the trez tine is absent.

While at Pilawin I was in great doubt to what race these Yenisei wapiti should be referred. Recently, however, Dr. P. Matschie, of the Berlin Museum, has published a paperon the wapiti of Central Asia,3in which important information is given with regard to the characteristics of the antlers of the different races, and the localities where the type specimens were obtained. The race here termedC. c. asiaticus, which Dr. Matschie callsCervus sibiricus,4is stated to be typically from the Sayansk and Baikal Mountains. With this race is provisionally associated the wapiti from Krasnoyarsk, although it is added that the latter may be distinct. Now as the SayanskC. c. asiaticuswas stated by its describer Severtzow to be lighter in winter than the Thian ShanC. c. songaricus, it is highly improbable that it should be very much darker in summer. Itherefore think that Dr. Matschie’s suggestion as to the distinctness of the Yenisei wapiti may very probably be well founded; and if this should prove to be the case when specimens are available for comparison, the race might well be named in honour of Count Potocki.

3Sitzungsberichte Ges. naturfor. Freunde, Berlin, 1907, p. 222; see also an article by myself in theFieldof 11th January 1908.4As I was the first to attempt to put right the confused nomenclature of Severtzow, I consider that the names I have adopted should stand.

3Sitzungsberichte Ges. naturfor. Freunde, Berlin, 1907, p. 222; see also an article by myself in theFieldof 11th January 1908.

4As I was the first to attempt to put right the confused nomenclature of Severtzow, I consider that the names I have adopted should stand.

A VIEW IN PILAWIN WITH ASIATIC WAPITI IN THE FOREGROUND.

As already mentioned, the red deer groupis represented in the Pilawin preserve by the true Persian maral (Cervus elaphus maral) and by the maral of the Caucasus. From wapiti the hinds of these deer are distinguishable at a glance by their red coats and the larger amount of white and black on the sides of the rump-patch as well as by the longer tail.Unfortunately, I had no opportunity of seeing the Persian and Caucasian red deer side by side, but I am informed by Mr. Sokalski that they are practically indistinguishable, as, indeed, might be expected from geographical considerations.

CAUCASIAN RED DEER.

In the large amount of black on the thighs they differ, according to the same informant, from Carpathian deer, which are more uniformly coloured, with the general tint decidedly darker.

Although this information is valuable so far as it goes, it unfortunately does not afford a definite clue as to which form of Carpathian deer is referred to (see letters in theFieldfor 1905, vol. cv., pp. 326 and 355). Mr. Sokalski has, however, a fine pair of Carpathian antlers characterised by their great massiveness, the absence of a bez tine, and theposition of the trez tine midway between the brow tine and the curiously compressed and expanded crown. A pair of much younger antlers from the same locality likewise lacks the bez tine. An old antler of the same type from Galicia is figured on page 220 of myGreat and Small Game Animals of Europe, N. and W. Asia, and N. America, and two antlers, one from Asia Minor and the other from the Crimea, described and figured by myself in the Zoological Society’sProceedingsfor 1890 (p. 363, pl. xxx.), likewise present the same general characteristics, although the reduction of the tines is still greater. Mr. Sokalski also possesses a pair of antlers (one entire and the other imperfect) dug up a few years ago some fifty miles distant from Pilawin which can scarcely be referred to any other deer than the one under consideration,showing the same absence of the bez tine and a similar conformation of the crown.

Assuming all these antlers to belong to the same type—and it is difficult to come to any conclusion—we have evidence of a race of red deer ranging from Volhynia through the Carpathians to Asia Minor and the Crimea. So far as I can determine, this deer seems to agree with Mr. Hamilton Leigh’s “grey Carpathian stag” (Field, 1905, vol. cv., p. 355), a race characterised by the relatively small number of tines to the antlers. That (contrary to Mr. Leigh’s opinion) it is distinct from the maral of Persia and the Caucasus, I have little doubt, and if there were a good specimen in a public collection to take as a type, I should be prepared to suggest for this race the nameCervus elaphus carpathicus.

This, of course, leaves open the questionas to the occurrence of other stags in the Carpathians.

Both the Persian and Caucasian red deer (maral) do exceedingly well in the Pilawin preserve, where they will doubtless before long form a big herd. At Antoniny the Count keeps, for hunting purposes, a small number of the so-called Polish deer from the Imperial preserves of Spala, in Poland, which, to my great regret, I had no opportunity of seeing. I trust, however, that he will send a head to the British Museum at no very distant date.

A PEKIN OR DYBOWSKI STAG.

In regard to the other deer at Pilawin, it will suffice to state that two Dybowski fawns were born during the present year.

Continuing the chronicle of our own doings, it remains to mention that a couple of days before our departure Mr. Sokalski, at the Count’s suggestion, very kindly arranged a seriesof “beats” in order that we might be afforded the best possible opportunity of seeing the denizens of the preserve; and these formed one of the most interesting episodes of our visit.

A BIG WAPITI.

Roedeer were, of course, put up in large numbers; and among these one buck was noticed with beautifully “pearled” antlers. We were fortunate in getting a splendid view of the best stag of the Yenisei wapiti, when thefeatures referred to above were duly noted. Between two of the “drives” we came accidentally upon the biggest herd of American wapiti, with the finest stag in the park among them. When first seen they were feeding in an open glade, but as the morning was rapidly becoming hot, they almost immediately betook themselves to a shady part of the forest, where it was a charming sight to watch them lie down one after the other, with the master-stag (who had been calling loudly) in the midst. Soon afterwards three full-grown cow elk broke covert; advancing with a long swinging trot to the side where I was standing, and then halting to look around, as if undecided which course to take. There was something almost ghost-like in their appearance as they first loomed into view out of the thick covert, and then vanished.

The great event was, however, reserved for the afternoon, when, after the twin elk calves had been driven out of one piece of forest and some of the wapiti out of another, the six bison, with the four Europeans leading and the Americans in the rear, burst out into the open in a heavy, lumbering gallop, which literally shook the earth, close to where my daughter was standing. It was indeed a magnificent spectacle. The “hustling” which the animals underwent during the drives made them somewhat fierce, with the result that two of the watchers had to spend the night on a shooting-stage.

In regard to the Pilawin preserve as a whole, there seems little doubt that it will ultimately prove a complete success, and form a unique centre of interest to sportsmen and naturalists alike.

In addition to the species and races already represented, the Manchurian or Bedford’s wapiti (Cervus canadensis xanthopygus), the Amurland wapiti (C. c. luedorfi), which I have now good reason to regard as distinct from the former, the hangul or Kashmir stag (C. cashmirianus), Thorold’s deer (C. albirostris), and the shou or Sikhim deer (C. affinis) would probably do well in the preserve, if specimens could be procured. Sikas and wild fallow deer would of course thrive, but the owner has no fancy for either. If smaller deer are desired, the Himalayan musk-deer (Moschus moschiferus) and the Chinese water-deer (Hydrelaphus inermis), as well as the Tibetan and North Chinese tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophusandE. michianus), might be recommended as interesting species likely to flourish; and, if specimens could be procured, the milou, orPère David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus), would almost certainly prove a success. Sheep, goats, and saigas would assuredly not do; but, despite the fact of their being mountain species, thar, serow, and takin (at present not procurable) might be worth a trial, as they are chiefly inhabitants of forests.

EUROPEAN BISON IN A FOREST RIDE.

The splendid condition in which the preserve is kept, and the large amount of work already accomplished in the matter of road-making and drainage, afford abundant testimony to the energy and capacity of Mr. Sokalski, the director. A word of commendation may likewise be bestowed on the relatively high degree of education of the foresters, who display a knowledge of zoology and botany conspicuous by its absence among most English game-keepers. Nearly all of these men are acquainted with the scientific names of thecommoner animals and plants to be met with in the forest; and they know all the berries and funguses which are good for food, as well as those to be shunned.

While on this point I may venture to put in a novel plea in favour of the retention of the old-fashioned type of scientific nomenclature. My German (so far as conversation is concerned) is but limited, while of Polish my knowledge isnil. And yet, despite these drawbacks, I was able to acquire from the director and the foresters a good knowledge of the denizens of the forest by means of their scientific names. If, however, I had known the white stork only by its modern designation ofCiconia ciconia, instead of by its old-fashioned title ofCiconia alba(and so in other cases), a great deal of such conversation would have been impossible.

Before bringing these notes to a close it will not, perhaps, be out of place to devote a few lines to the domesticated ponies and cattle of the district, as it was one of the objects of my trip to endeavour to ascertain whether these respectively exhibited any special resemblances to the wild Przewalski horses (or rather ponies) of the Gobi Desert, and to the extinct wild ox, or aurochs, which, as already mentioned, lingered longer in Poland than elsewhere.5

5I have already published these observations in theField.

A very noticeable feature among the cattle of the district is the prevalence of black, dark brown, and black-and-white; equally noteworthy being the frequency among the piebald individuals of a broad white line down the middle of the back. A similar white band also characterizes many of the rufous or fawn-coloured types, which, on the assumption of descent from the aurochs, must be regarded as retrograde derivatives from the black (or black-and-white) phase. Herberstain described the wild aurochs as being black with a broad light-coloured band down the middle line of the back; and it thus seems highly probable that in the white dorsal line of the partially albinistic Polish cattle we have a distinct survival of the ancestral type of colouring. Among the black-and-white cattle of Holland such a conspicuous white band seems less common, and the same is the case with English shorthorns. Major Barrett-Hamilton tells me, however, that it may be observed in some Kerry cattle. The horns of the ordinary Volhynian cattle, although small, are of the aurochs type.

The large white, or rather pale cream-coloured, Podolian cattle do not seem toextend much to the north of Schepetowka. At the Berlin Zoological Gardens I learnt an interesting point in connection with these cattle, namely, that while the oxen, cows, and calves are wholly white, the old bulls have black muzzles and ears, as well as a certain amount of black on the face and limbs. As black in the Javan wild ox or bantin (Bos sondaicus), to say nothing of many antelopes, is developed only in the adult males, it seems highly probable that the black points of the Podolian bulls may be the last vestiges of the aurochs-colouring in this albinistic breed. In connection with this, it occurs to me that the red specimens of the aurochs which have been described may have been cows, as it is quite probable that, in some cases at any rate, the females may have been in the same stage of colour-evolution as the cow bantin.

A GOOD WAPITI.

The country ponies are for the most part uniformly bay, dull chestnut, or mouse-coloured, with the tail well haired to the root. Occasionally a pale brown dorsal stripe is observable; but white “stockings” and a white star on the forehead (which are both regarded by Professor Ridgeway as indicative of Arab blood) are very rare, and I saw no trace of dark barrings on the legs. The callosities or “chestnuts” on the hind-legs appear to be always small. In general characters these ponies seem to approximate to the now extinct half-bred and mouse-coloured wild tarpan of the Kirghiz steppes, rather than to the dun Przewalski type of the Gobi Desert, which is apparently the true tarpan. I hope to be able to write more definitely with regard to this point on a later occasion, as Count Potocki has kindly promised to send to the NaturalHistory Branch of the British Museum a couple of skulls of these small country ponies, which will enable it to be determined whether the cheek-teeth in this breed are of the large relative size characteristic of the wild Gobi race.

Greater diversity of colour occurs among the larger ponies or horses, used for riding and travelling—probably due to a larger infusion of foreign blood. Among these I saw one of the yellow dun Norwegian type, in which the hind-chestnuts were not larger than peas.

Indisputable evidence of near kinship with the wild boar is displayed by the domesticated pigs of the country, especially the numerous black individuals, which have a thick coat of bristly hairs, developed into a more or less conspicuous mane or crest along the napeand back. Whether, as I am informed is the case with some domesticated Hungarian swine, they have striped young, I did not ascertain.

Of the smaller wild mammals I saw none except a squirrel (kept in confinement at Antoniny), which belonged to that race of the species in which the tail in autumn is blackish brown.

Our ten days’ residence, favoured for the most part with ideal weather, amid the glorious Pilawin forest came to a close on Wednesday, September 4, on the afternoon of which day we started for the railway,en routefor Warsaw and London.

In conclusion I may be permitted to take the opportunity of tendering to Count and Countess Potocki the best thanks of my daughter and myself for a most delightfulvisit, the interest of which is enhanced by the fact that we are the first English people who have enjoyed the privilege of making “a Trip to Pilawin.”

A WAPITI AT GAZE.

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