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 of the 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 name Sayansk 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 to form 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 paper on the wapiti of Central Asia,[3] in 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 termed C. c. asiaticus, which Dr. Matschie calls Cervus sibiricus,[4] is 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 Sayansk C. c. asiaticus was stated by its describer Severtzow to be lighter in winter than the Thian Shan C. c. songaricus, it is highly improbable that it should be very much darker in summer. I therefore 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.
[3] Sitzungsberichte Ges. naturfor. Freunde, Berlin, 1907, p. 222; see also an article by myself in the Field of 11th January 1908.
[4] As 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 group is 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.