ation of game animals has been in New Zealand.

Originally, New Zealand possessed no large animals, and no "big-game."
When Nature passed around the deer, antelopes, sheep, goats, wild cattle
and bears, New Zealand failed to receive her share. For centuries her
splendid forests, her grand mountains and picturesque valleys remained
untenanted by big game.

In 1864, the Prince Consort of England caused seven head of European red
deer to be taken from the royal park at Windsor, and sent to
Christchurch, New Zealand. Only three of the animals survived the long
voyage; a buck and two does. For several weeks the two were kept in a
barn in Christchurch, where they served no good purpose, and were not
likely to live long or be happy. Finally some one said, "Let's set them
free in the mountains!"

The idea was adopted. The three animals were hauled an uncertain number
of miles into the interior mountains and set free.

They promptly settled down in their new home. They began to breed, and
now on the North Island there are probably five thousand European red
deer, every one of which has descended directly from the famous three!
And here is the strangest part of the story:

The red deer of the North Island represent the greatest case of
in-and-in breeding of wild animals on record. According to the
experience of the world in the breeding of domestic cattle (_not
horses_), we should expect physical deterioration, the development of
diseases, and disaster. On the contrary, the usual evil results of
in-breeding in domestic cattle have been totally absent. _The red deer
of New Zealand are to-day physically larger and more robust animals,
with longer and heavier antlers, and longer hair, than any of the red
deer of Europe west of Germany_!

Red deer have been introduced practically all over New Zealand, and the
total number now in the Islands must be somewhere near forty thousand.
The sportsmen of that country have grand sport, and take many splendid
trophies. That transplantation has been a very great success.
Incidentally, the case of the in-bred deer of the North Island, taken
along with other cases of which we know, establishes a new and important
principle in evolution. It is this:

_When healthy wild animals are established in a state of nature, either
absolutely free, or confined in preserves so large that they roam at
will, seek the food of nature and take care of themselves, in-and-in
breeding produces no ill effects,