24 Mearns A New Deer from Texas and Northern Mexico. 



Color. In the type, which is in complete winter coat, the upper sur-. 

 face is superficially a pepper-and-salt mixture of black, yellowish white, 

 and gray. A distinctly blackish area begins anteriorly on the crown, be 

 tween the horns and ears, and extends posteriorly almost to the root of 

 the tail. The color gradually pales to light yellowish ash on the sides. 

 All of the hairs of the upper surface are white at extreme base, plumbe 

 ous ash in the middle, black apically, and subterminally ringed with yel 

 lowish white, these whitish annuli increasing in width from the verte 

 bral area downwards. Under surface pure white 011 the axillee, inner 

 surface of thighs, and abdomen; fuliginous on the chest. Tail white 

 below, black above, the black of the upper surface much obscured by 

 broad yellowish brown subterminal annuli to the hairs. Head, with 

 naked nose-pad, and front of under lip, plumbeous-black. Iris yellowish 

 hazel. Upper jaw white anteriorly, next to the naked muffle, becoming 

 light ash further back, with an intervening area of black, which latter 

 forms a triangular area, with its base applied to the posterior margin of 

 the nostril and its apex crossing the middle of the upper lip and extend 

 ing over the under jaw to form a small black spot behind the pure white 

 chin. Throat white, mixed with ash where the basal coloring of the 

 hair is exposed, between the white tips. Upper side of head black, much 

 obscured on the forehead by dirty white and reddish subterminal annuli. 

 Orbits and base of ear externally whitish. Concavity of ear densely 

 clothed with long white hair; convexity tipped and bordered by black, 

 except at base anteriorly, the black enclosing an area of pepper-and-salt 

 gray ; base of ear posteriorly clear ash-gray. Sides of head ash-gray, 

 thickly annulated with whitish. Brows and bristles about eyes all black ; 

 those about muzzle black and white. Limbs reddish fawn, more or less 

 mixed with gray and black anteriorly, whitish or pale fawn color pos 

 teriorly, and white around hoofs and between toes. Hoofs plumbeous, 

 horn color where worn off at apex. The metatarsal gland, which meas 

 ures 15 mm. in length, is surrounded by a tuft of reversed hair, which is 

 white in the middle, bordered by dark brown. 



A young male, an old female, and a young female (Nos. 4289, 4290, and 

 4291, author's collection) killed with the type December 25, 1897, and 

 also in full winter pelage, agree essentially in coloration with the adult 

 male described above, except that the ears and crown of head are blacker, 

 and the light annulations on the upper side of the tail nearly or quite 

 wanting, leaving that part clear black. 



The summer coat, as usual, is reddish. 



Horns. The horns of the type approach those of the Sonoran deer, Dor- 

 celaphus couesi (Cones and Yarrow), in size and form. There are two basal 

 snags, one directed upward and backward (length 75 mm.), and one for 

 ward (length 37 mm.), with four additional points to each horn, making 

 twelve points in all. The length of the beam, measured to end of anterior 

 point, following the curves of the horn, is 440 mm. The horns are symmet 

 rical, their longest points measuring 175 mm. in height. The beam is 

 strongly curved upward, forward, and inward, the tips of the anterior tines 



