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MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



COLUMBIA BLACK-TAILED DEER 

 Odocoileus columbianus { Richardson ) 



General Description. — A large Deer with heavy 

 antlers on the male. Tail longer than that of Mule 

 Deer and much broader. Ear normal. Body and legs 

 short. Body color yellowish-red. 



Dental Formula. — Same as given for White-tailed 

 Deer. 



Pelage. — Adults: SiDiDiicr. Above, yellowish-red 

 to dull reddish-brown. A dark streak on throat, dark- 

 ening on the breast and becoming brownish on the belly. 

 A white area extending from between the thighs to the 

 tail. Tail with upper side brown on basal half, dull 

 black on remainder, and white on under side. Winter. 

 Above, gray tinged with tawny, darker on upper side 

 of neck. YouNG : Bright bay spotted more or less 

 regularly with white. 



Measurements.— Length, 6 feet : tail. 6 inches ; 

 height at shoulder. 2 feet. lo inches. 



Range. — Coast Mountains from northern California 

 to British Columbia. 



Food. — Grass, leaves, buds and twigs of shrubs and 

 trees. 



Remarks. — The Columbia Black-tailed Deer may 

 be readily distinguished from the Mule Deer by its 

 smaller ears, smaller metatarsal gland (2 to 3 inches 

 long in the Black-tail. 5 inches long in the Mule Deer), 

 and longer, broader tail with a white underside and no 

 naked area. The group of Deer, of which the Colum- 

 bian Black-tailed is typical, is made up of 4 species 

 and subspecies. 



Related Species 



Columbia Blacktailed Deer. — Odocoileus colum- 

 bianus columbianus (Richardson). Type form. Coastal 

 region from California to British Columbia. 



Southern Black-tailed Deer. — Odocoileus colum- 

 bianus scafliii'ius Merriam. Ears larger and broader, 

 color paler, teeth larger. Southern California. 



Alaska Black-tailed Deer. — Odocoileus columbianus 

 sitkensis Merriam. .-Maska. 



Crook Black-tailed Deer. — Odocoileus crooki 

 (Mearns. ) Smaller, paler and ears larger. New 

 Me.xico and Arizona. 



This deer, the most common on the Pacific 

 slope, was discovered by Lewis and Clark 

 in 1805. when in the region of the Columbia 

 river, and is described in their list of fauna 

 observed by them as the " Black-tailed Fallow 

 Deer." It is remarkable for having the most 

 limited range of all the Deer of .\merica, being 

 found in British Columbia and on the Pacific 

 Coast only. In southern Oregon it has been seen 

 a few miles over the crest of the Cascade range, 

 as far east as Klamath Lake, and in most abund- 

 ance about forty miles east of Cottage Grove. 



The Columbia Black-tail is generally smaller 

 than the two other types. Its ears are large, 

 and its eyes are perhaps the most beautiful of all 

 the Deer family, being large, and a brilliant liquid 

 black. The weight ranges from 175 to 225 

 potinds : an exceptionally large btick scaled over 

 270 pounds. The antlers, which are neither so 

 large nor so handsome as those of the Mule 

 Deer, varv considerably in size ; a pair twenty- 

 three inches long and having a spread of twenty- 

 four inches would be considered good. They 

 are bifurcated sometimes once, sometimes twice, 

 and are shed annually in the spring. Forthw-ith 

 the bucks make their way to the higher moun- 

 tains remaining in the thick brush for five or six 

 weeks, in which short time the new horns attain 

 their full growth, but are, of course, still in the 

 vehtt. The Indians are said to be fond of the 



soft horn, and hunting dogs must be kept from 

 it. as they regard it with evident liking. 



In winter, the color of the animal is a beauti- 

 ful steel-gray, the face being gray with dark 

 forehead : the throat and tinderparts are white, 

 and the legs dark cinnamon. The tail, which is 

 the distingtiishing feature of this species of Deer, 

 is round, and a dull black, except for about a 

 qtiarter of its circimiference on the under side, 

 which is white. As the tail of the Mule Deer 

 is also black, hunters not infrequently mistake 

 that animal for the Columbia Black-tail ; but 

 there is this distinct difference between the two: 

 the tail of the Mule Deer is naked underneath, 

 while that of the Columbia Black-tail is entirely 

 covered with hair. 



The mating season is from late September to 

 November, the actions of the bucks at this time 

 being almost ludicrous. " With bulging eyes and 

 widespread legs, they plunge through the forest 

 as if possessed of an unclean spirit — hardly 

 noticing even a hunter when they meet him, or. 

 if thev should do so. plainly showing that they 

 would almost as soon fight as flee." The does 

 are very prolific, producing, in the spring, two, 

 and not uncommonly three fawns at a birth. The 

 fawns are beautifully marked with almost white 

 spots, which they retain for four or five months. 

 So long as the does are nursing, the Deer lie very 

 close, but the bucks do not appear to trouble 



