178 



BULLETIN 56, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Weight. — Maj. Charles E. Bendire, who became very familiar 

 with this deer through the necessity of subsisting the men of his 

 command largely upon the flesh of this and the mule deer when 

 campaigning in Arizona during the early days, informed me that 

 the weight of old bucks ranged from GO to 100 pounds. This accords 

 with my observation. Two females (Xos. *203-M> and 20350, U.S. 

 N.M.), (one of them immature but fat), weighed 50 pounds each 

 when eviscerated. Another female (Xo. 20.")7C>. U.S.X.M.) weighed 

 60 pounds, gross. Fat old bucks were estimated at 80 pounds, gross 

 weight; but none were weighed. Unaided, I easily lifted the largest 

 upon my horse, attached it behind the saddle, and rode to camp. 

 This would not have been possible with the mule or Crook deer. 



Fig. VI.— Skills of Odocoilejbs. Viewed in profile from behind, a, O. < ouesi; b, o. am epic anus; 



C, <>. CROOKI; (I, 0. HEMIONUS CANUS. 



Cranial characters. — The skull, viewed in profile from behind 

 (fig. 12a) is high, but squarish, not dome-shaped as in Odocoileus 

 americanus (fig. 125) ; but the parocipital processes are thick and 

 rather short, like those of I), americanus, quite different from those 

 of O. crooki and the members of the hemionus group, in which they 

 are long and slender (figs. 12c, d). The large, inflated auditory bullae 

 (fig. L3&), together with the small size of the skull, will also readily 

 serve to distinguish it from 0. americanus. The auditory opening 

 is larger and more prominent, the lateral profile of the brain case is 

 quite different, the skull as a whole is less slender, and the man- 

 dibular ramus more nearly vertical than in 0. americanus. The 



