120 



Life-histories of Northern Animals 



IN 



MANI- 

 TOBA 



Deer is not a fiftieth of what it was; 400,000 as an estimate 

 of Mule Blacktail to-day is not under the facts. I hope it is 

 not too high. 



This Deer was scarce when first I came to Manitoba, in 

 1882. In all the region south of Carberry, between the Pine 

 River and Sewell, there were, so the Indians told me, only 13 

 Deer. At all events, when one Chaska got that number in 

 those sandhills there seemed to be none left. 



In 1885 Deer were very scarce, but thanks to good game 

 laws they have greatly increased and now exist in larger num- 

 bers than at any time since the settlement of the Province. 

 They are found in all the Alleghanian region, where there is 

 dry rolling country and cover. 



ANTLERS The antlers are very dlff^erent from those of Whitetail, 

 but resemble, somewhat, those of the Coast Deer. They are 



what scientists 

 call dichoto- 

 mous, that is, 

 they are an ar- 

 rangement of 

 even forks, in- 

 stead of having 

 a main branch 

 with snags. 

 This, of course, 

 is the type; the 

 variations from 

 it are endless, as 

 suggested by the 

 illustrations (Figs. 38 to 51). Their history of growth is much 

 the same as that of the Whitetail. 



It is well known that the horns are in close touch with 

 the sexual organs, and that any change, injury, or effect on these 

 organs, is at once reflected in the horns. A remarkable illus- 

 tration came from Colorado some years ago. Edwin Carter 



No. 38 — A remarkable Wyoming head. 

 In collection of Lewis S. Thompson, of Red Bank, N. J. 



