Vol. X, pp. 25-28 February, 1896 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



THE FLORIDA DEER. 

 BY OUTRAM BANGS. 



It has been known for many years that the Florida deer 

 differed enormously in size from its more northern representa- 

 tive, and while most writers on the subject have mentioned this, 

 no one has as yet separated the two. Until recently there has 

 been a great lack of museum specimens of our larger mammals, 

 and this fact alone can account for the Florida deer's remaining 

 so long urmamed. 



The Florida deer is little more than half the size of the deer of 

 the northeastern United States, and, in addition to this, there are 

 such other differences as decide me to give it full s])ecific rank. 

 The color of the Florida deer at all seasons is rather darker than 

 that of Carlacm americanus (Erxleben),* and unlike the latter, 



*The name Cerviis virginianus Boddaert is so well known and has stood 

 for our eastern deer so long that it seems like sacrilege to change it, but 

 it is antedated by seven years by Erxelben's name Cernis dama ainerlcana. 

 Erxleben proposed this name on page 312 of his Syst. Regni Animalis, 

 Mammalia, 1777. In a separate paragraph at the end of his article on 

 Cervus dama he asks if americanus is different, as supposed by Pennant 

 (Differtne vere americanus vti Pennanto videtur?). He quotes a part of 

 Pennant's description aifd gives synonymy, so that the name will have to 

 stand. He gives its distribution as Virginia and Carolina. 



Mr. Oldfield Thomas (in Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist. (0), xv, p. 193, 

 Feb., 1895) points out that Gloger's generic name Dorcelaphm equals and 

 antedates by one year Lesson's name Car incus, but as Dorcelaphus is un- 

 doubtedly also antedated l)y other names, it seems wiser to keep the well- 

 known name Cariacus until this point is definitely settled. 



4— Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. X, 1S96 (25) 



