Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/764

 760 DEER Indians for ages with the bow and arrow ; the white man hunts it with the rifle in the rocky districts, chases it with hounds in the open country of the south, or kills it when dazzled at night by a bright light in the woods. The deer are growing scarce in all but the unsettled parts and inaccessible swamps and thickets of the United States, and will soon become extinct unless stringent laws are made and enforced against killing them out of season; they are found, however, in every state of the Union, in Canada and the British provinces, in Texas and in Mexico ; in California this is replaced by the black-tailed species. Those found in the moun- tains are larger and shorter-legged than those of the swamps of Carolina and the Atlantic sea- board. It is generally believed that the C. Mex- icans (Licht.), C. nemoralis (H. Smith), and C. gymnotis (Wiegm.), all from Mexico, are only Californian or Black-tailed Deer. varieties of the common Virginian deer. A different species, however, is the black-tailed or Californian deer (C. Richardsonii, Aud. and Bach. ; C. Columbianus, Rich.). The male is a little larger than the common deer, but shorter and stouter in form ; the horns are twice forked, the first fork being 10 in. from the base, the antlers somewhat like those of the European stag ; the ears are of moderate size, the head shorter and the nose broader than in the first species ; the hoofs are narrow and pointed ; the lachrymal openings large, and close under the eye ; the tail short and bushy. The general col- or is reddish brown above and white beneath, with no light patch on the buttocks ; the chest blackish brown, which encircles the shoulder like a collar ; a dark line from under chest to middle of belly ; the tail dark brown, becoming black at the top, and white below. The length to root of tail is 5 ft., tail 9 in. ; height at shoulders 2 ft. ; width of horns between su- perior prongs If ft. First noticed by Lewis and Clarke near the Columbia river, it has be- come recently well known to the Californian miners ; it seems to replace the common deer to the west of the Rocky mountains. The flesh is tender and of good flavor. Less graceful than the common deer, and more bounding in its movements, it is said to be very swift ; it also breeds earlier in the season. It is found from California to the Russian possessions. The Co- lumbian black-tailed deer (C. Lewisii, Peale) may be merely a variety, according to season or locality, of the last named. The long- tailed deer (C. leucurus, Douglass) is smaller than the Virginian, with the head and back fawn-colored, mixed with black ; sides and cheeks paler; white beneath; tail brownish yellow above, reddish near tip, and cream- white below. The form is elegant, lachrymal opening small, limbs slender, hoofs sharp-point- ed, and tail long ; the fur dense, coarse, and long, with a tuft on the belly between the thighs. The length is only 4 to 5 ft. to root of tail ; tail 13 in. In appearance and manner of jump- ing it resembles the roebuck ; the flesh is ex- cellent. According to Richardson, this species is not found on the east side of the Rocky mountains beyond lat. 54, nor to the eastward of Ion. 105 ; Douglass says that it is the most common deer in the districts adjoining the Co- lumbia river ; it is also met with on the upper Missouri and Platte rivers, and in Washington territory. The mule deer (C.macrotis, Say) is intermediate in size between the wapiti and the common deer, and is a noble-looking animal, the only drawback being its long ears; the horns are twice forked ; the lachrymal aperture is long, the hair coarse and crimped, the hoofs short and wide, and the tail almost without hair beneath. The general color of the hair above is brownish gray, shading into fulvous, the chin without any dark markings ; the fore- head dark brown, and the dorsal line nearly black ; below grayish white ; a yellowish white spot on the buttocks ; tail pale ferruginous, with Mule Deer (Cariacus macrotis). a black tuft at the end ; the glandular openings on the sides of the hind legs are very long. In the female, the form and length of the ears re- semble so much those of the mule that the ori-