Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/82

* DEER. 62 West of the Missouri it is replaced by the very similar white-tailed deer (Cariacus leucurus}, and south of the United States by the ilexican deer (CurUictts llexicanus) . The American deer are ery fond of water, especially in the summer, and at that season feed very largely on water- lilies, in seeking which they often go far out into shallow ponds and lakes. They are line swim- mers, and often enter the water during the day to escape from tlics and other insects, but they feed chiefly at night. Owing to this habit, a method of liunting known as •jacking' is often practiced, by means of boats. A brilliant light, known as a 'jack-light,' is placed at the bow, while the hunter is stationed in the shadow behind. The boat is then pushed quietly through the lily-pads until a deer is heard or seen ; attraetea by the bright light, the animal turns full toward it, and the hunter, seeing the rellection of the light in the deer's eyes, can make his aim sure. Under simi- lar circumstances George Shiras, 3d, of Pitts- burg. Pa., has secured a series of tine photo- graphs of deer beside lakes in northern Wiseon- sin. by using a flash-light apparatus, 0])erated by a trigger and instantaneous plates. In color tlu' American deer as somewhat variable, there being a marked seasonal change, as well as much indi- vidual and geographical diversity. In summer the upper parts are more or less chestnut red. which becomes more cinnamon-color along the sides; the imder parts are white. In a inter the upper parts become more gray, so that there is a general slaty-blue cast, and the deer is then said to be 'in the blue.' Deer no longer occur com- monly south of Vermont, New York, and Jliehi- gan, except in some of the less-settled portions of the Southern States. Protective legislation has led to a marked increa.se in the number of deer in Vermont and some other States, but ex- 'cessive hunting during the open season is reduc- ing the numbers elsewhere. Besides the Xorth American deer above men- tioned, the Western mule-deer ( Cariacus ma- crotis) demands a word, on account of its re- markable ears. These are eight inches long and well covered with hair. CL.ssII•'lC.TIO^". The classification of deer is now based largely upon the structure of the feet and the antlers. There are two maih groups of deer, the Pleswmetacurpalia and the Tilcmctacar- palia. The former arc all Old World deer, except the wapiti (q.v.), and have the proximal por- tions of the lateral metacarpals present, and the A'omer never divides the posterior osseous nares into two distinct passages. This group comprises the genera Cervulus. the muntjacs (q.v. ) ; Ela- phodus, with a single small Chinese species, and Cervus. This last genus includes many species, and is subdivided, cliieily according to the form of the antlers, into seven groups, as follows: (1) Rusine, in which the antlers have no tine (known as the tez) just above the lowest or brow tine, the beam is upright and simply forked at the tip, the brow tine rises close to the base, and the angle formed with the beam is acute; (2) Rucervine. beam somewhat flattened, and bifurcates into two branches, which again divide, and the brow tine is given off at an obtuse angle and curves upward: (3) Klaphnrine. beam straight, erect, with a loug, straight back tine: (4) Axine, antlers rusine, but body of adult marked with rows of white spots: (.5) Pseudax- ine, similar to axine, but the antlers have a DEER. forked beam, of which the posterior tine is the smaller; (ti) Elaphine, a bez tine is present and the rounded beam splits up into a number of small tines often arranged in a cup-like manner; (7) Damine, the antlers are palmated near the tip. See Antleb, where illustrations of various forms are given. (Jf these seven groups, the Elaphine is the meet important, including the red deer and wapiti, but the well-known sambur (Cervus Aristutelis) of India is rusine, the swamp deer (CtriKS DuroM- celli) of the same country is rucervine, the axis is a.xine, the Japanese deer [Cervus sika) is pseudaxine, while the fallow deer (Cervus da)iui) is damine. The Telemetacarpalia include all the American deer except the wapiti, and several Old World species also. The distal extremities of the lateral metacarpals are present and the vomer usually divides the posterior nares into two distinct ori- fices. The genus l^angifer contains the reindeer and caribou; Alces, the elk, or moose: and Capreolus includes the roe-deer of Europe and Asia. The Chinese water-deer is a remarkable little species withoT't antlers, and is the sole representative of the genus Hydropotes. The genus Cariacus in- cludes, besides the three species already men- tionec, a number of others tound in the western United States, and in Central and South Amer- ica. They may lie grouped in four sections knoA^TQ as the Cariacine, Blastocerine, Furciferine, and Coassine, The North American deer all belong in the first section, while the last one includes the small South American deer known as brock- ets. The genus Pudua includes only a single diminutive species, the piulu, which is less than eighteen inches high, and lives in the Andes of Chile. Fossil Deer. The earliest fossil remains of deer are found in the Middle Miocene strata, where the group is represented by several species of PakTemertyx, at least one of which had antlers. Remains of other genera occur in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Cervus proper appears in the Pliocene. The notable giant deer, or 'Irish elk' (Cervus giganteus), possessed enormous palmat- ed antlers, 11 feet from tip to tip. It represents a distinct' section of the genus, called megacero- tine. The remains are foiuid in Pleistocene de- posits over a large part of Europe, but are espe- cially common in the peat-bogs of Ireland, where they were first discovered. See Elk. Consult: Hamilton-Smith, (editor of) Grif- fith's Animal Kingdom (London, 1827) : Caton, Antelope and Deer of America (New York, 1877) ; Lydekkor, Deer of All Lands (London, 1898), colored quarto plates, w'ith descriptions of all species; Roosevelt (and others). The Deer Famil;/ (New York. 1902) : Scrope, Dai/s of Deer Stalhing [red deer] in the Scottish Highlands (London, Hamilton's ed., 1883) ; Saint .John, Sportsman and Naturalist in Sutherlandshire tLondon, 1891): .TelTries, Red Deer (London, 2d ed., 1892) ; Deer Stalhing ["Fur and Feather Series"] (London, 1890). See Elk; Moose; Mitsk-Deeb; Reindeer; SiK. ; and other names of deer: also Plates of DicKU OF Nonni Ami:rr'.: and of F.llow Deeb, Mi:sK, ETC. (with article Deer-St.^lking) . DEER, or DEIR, Old. A picturescpie village and jiarish in the northeast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in the district of Buehan (Map: Scot- land, F 2). It is chiefly known in connection