MAMMALS 32. Bank Vole. Evotomys glareolus, Schreber. Bell — Arvicola glareolus. This species is also very common in the county. It is eagerly sought for by owls as the numbers of skulls in pellets testify. Like the last species and the long-tailed field mouse, it does much damage to garden bulbs. 33. Common Hare. Lepus europaus, Pallas. Bell — Lepus limidus. This is too well known as a common species in the county to call for further re- mark. 34. Rabbit. Lepui cunicu/us, Linn. Abundant. UNGULATA [White Wild Cattle. Bos taurus, Linn. In the Survey of Holdenby drawn up by Parliamentary Commission in 1650, when the property was broken up, mention is made of 'eleven cowes and three calves of Wylde Catell ' which were then valued for sale.] 35. Red Deer. Cervus elaphus, Linn. Though no longer wild in this county, probably some of those now existing may be the descendants of wild ones enclosed at the time the parks were formed. Mr. J. Whit- aker * states that there were red deer in the time of Henry VIIL in Rockingham Park, ' but when they ceased is not known.' The same authority gives the following list : — containing 20 red deer .. »oo „ „ 19 3° »T »> Deene Park . Whittlebury Park Blatherwycke Park . Burghley Park , . Althorp Park . . Deene Park containing 9> ti 200 fallow deei 130 ,, 100 „ Whittlebury Park Blatherwycke Park ff 300 » 300 „ Rockingham Park 79 200 „ Boughton Park »» 250 .. Milton Park . . yi 115 „ Fawsley Park . Farming Woods Park 99 300 .. 215 ,, Yardley Chase Aynhoe Park . 150 .. 100 „ Cottesbrooke Park )l 200 „ Norton Park . • >J 100 „ „ Lilford Park . . »l 255 .. Carlton Park . )> 70 .. Canons Ashby Park The Spinney Park Lichborough 9 100 „ 40 .. >. 36. Fallow Deer. Cervus dama, Linn. In Rockingham there are a small number of wild fallow deer, which wander from one wood to another, jumping the fences at pleasure. The following list of herds is given by Mr. Whitaker : — '
- Deer Paris and Paddocks 0/ England, 1 892.
37. Roe Deer. Capreolus capreolus^ Linn. Bell — Capreolus caprea. Mr. T. George, curator of the North- ampton Museum, has shown me undoubted horns of this species dug up at Danes' Camp, and also a very perfect horn found recently in a brickyard near Northampton. The roe deer was once universally distributed over the island of Great Britain, and remains are found in brick-earth in many places. [A short note on the deer may be added. There is reason to think that the last red deer which was wild [i.e. not in a park or enclosure) was shot on Sir Arthur Brooke's estate at Great Oakley some twenty-five years ago. But there is no proof that there has been an uninterrupted succession of wild red deer from the earliest times till within living memory. The one above-mentioned had probably escaped from Deene or Blatherwycke, but as said above these herds are probably the descendants of the wild red deer of Rockingham Forest. Simil.irly, with regard to the fallow deer, it is impossible to prove, though it is unlikely, that the wild fallow deer mentioned above have not themselves or their recent ancestors escaped from Boughton, Deene or Rockingham. There is much difference of local opinion on this point. In Wise's book, Rockingham and the fVatsons, the author says : ' Many persons now living remember the wholesale shooting of the deer and the sale of others and their transportation to happier hunting grounds, and are fond of recounting how their families used to feed on venison when those deer seemed to be no man's property and the forest laws a dead letter.' But it may be taken as certain that the fallow deer now in Boughton, Deene, Rockingham, Blatherwycke, Carlton and Milton parks are the old forest breed of fallow deer, and great pains have for years been taken by the owners of some of these parks to maintain the purity of the breed.] — W. R. D. A. 133
