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NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Seasonal Changes in the Fallow Deer.—The Hon. Gerald Lascelles has
some interesting notes in the October "Zoologist" on the changes of colour in
the fallow deer as observed in the New Forest. He thinks that "the change of
coat that takes place in this species when, as in the New Forest, in a perfectly
wild condition has escaped the notice of naturalists, and that a description of
what annually occurs among these deer may be of interest. In the New Forest,
during May, June, July, and August, all the fallow deer are uniformly of a light
red colour, spotted thickly on the flanks with white and light grey spots—such,
in fact, as in parks are termed 'fallow' deer. In September the coat begins to
change, and by November all the deer are uniformly a very dark brown, almost
black, on the back and sides, shading off to a light dun on the flanks, belly and
legs, without any spots at all. The white patch below the tail is unaltered, but
is rather more conspicuous in winter than in summer, owing to the darker colour
of the animal. In some individuals the spots in summer are brighter and more
numerous than in others; in winter there is but little difference, except that the
bucks are, as a rule, slightly lighter in shade than the does. Both of these winter
and summer colours are common enough in parks; but in every case that has
come under my observation, those deer which are red and spotted in the summer,
remain of the same hue in the winter; and those which are dark or black at one
season of the year remain of that colour during the whole twelvemonth. What
would be interesting to know is, whether in other places where fallow deer are
genuinely wild—not where semi-domesticated deer have been turned out, and
allowed to breed—the same biennial change of colour takes place, and if so, how
it comes about that confinement in a confined space has altered the habit of the
species, as in most parks it certainly has." In all probability, the deer in our own
Epping Forest are at least as ancient as those in New Forest, and we should be
glad to hear from anyone who has observed them carefully at different times of
the year whether there are in them any seasonal changes similar to those observed
by Mr. Lascelles. The dark colour of our deer would mask the changes in tint, but
still some differences may exist between that of the summer and winter coats.—Ed.
Capture of Otters near Chelmsford.—According to the "Essex County
Standard" of October 8th, a fine bitch otter was trapped on the navigation river,
near the third lock, a few miles from Chelmsford, and is alive, in the possession
of the lock-man. About a fortnight ago a male was similarly caught and killed
in the same place, and was found to weigh upwards of 23 lbs. The female is
nearly as large.
A Fine Pike at Heybridge.—"Mr. Frank Anderson, a well-known member
of the Maldon Angling Club, fishing in the Chelmer Navigation the other day,
near Heybridge, captured a fine pike, which measured 2 feet 101/2 inches from snout
to tail and 71/2 across the side. It scaled 11 lbs. 12 ozs."—'Essex County Standard,"
November 19th, 1892.
Clouded Yellow Butterflies in Essex in 1892.—The "Entomologist" for
November contains some additional records, which may be inserted as supple-
mentary to those printed ante pp. 130, 140. Mr. Laddeman writes that "on the
23rd of August, I captured four Colias edusa, two males and two females, and saw
about forty others, on a piece of rough ground near the rifle range at High Beach,
Epping Forest. On the 24th, I saw another fly across the road near the 'Wake
Arms.' The greater proportion of those seen appeared to be males." Mr. F .