Tlie Florida Deer. 27 



behind each nostral. The tail is broadly edged with black at the base 

 and black above at the tip. 



An old male from Blitclies Ferry, Citrus county, Florida (No. 2391, Oc- 

 tober 24, 1894) in fresh autumnal pelase is very dark above, the lower 

 dark band of the hairs extending to tlieir base and imparting to the wliole 

 upper parts a rich dark-brown color, variegated by the yellow bands of 

 some of the hairs ; tail not edged with black, but like that of the type. 



A half-grown female topotype (No. 2395, August 9, 1894) has the hairs 

 of the back unhanded and is clay color above, beautifully marked with 

 small irregular white spots. 



Size. — The only specimen measured in the flesh (No. 2391, male, old 

 adult, from Blitches Ferry, Citrus county, Florida) afforded the follow- 

 ing: Total length, 1,600; tail vertebrte, 28t); hind foot, 500 (measured by 

 the collector, F. L. Small). 



The skull. — The skull of Cariucus osccola is very small; it is different in 

 general shape from that of C. americanus, being much narrower and pro- 

 portionall)^ longer; the zygomatic arch lies much closer to the skull, and 

 thus heightens its slender appearance ; the nasal bones are long and slen- 

 der, being about the length and about half the width of those of C. ameri- 

 canus ; the whole rostral portion is slender. In C. osceola the nasal and 

 premaxillary bones meet. In C. americanus the nasal and premaxillary 

 are separated by a forward arm of the maxillary. (This arm of the max- 

 illary varies somewhat in width, but is present in every skull of C. ameri- 

 canus I have examined, young and adult, while in every skull of C. osceola, 

 both young and adult, that I have seen it is altogether absent. ) 



The teeth. — The molar and premolar teeth of C. osceola differ enormously 

 in size from those of C. americanus. Every tooth is actually larger than 

 the corresponding tooth in americanus, and the tooth row consequently 

 longer. 



llie antlers. — The antlers of the male C. osceola apparently never attain 

 a great size. No. 2391, which is a very old deer with four prongs, only 

 measures 413 millimeters across the greatest sti'etchof his antlers, and the 

 antlers themselves are small and light. C. americanus No. 4999, fi"om 

 Bucksport, Maine, is about the same age as No. 2391 and has also four 

 prongs ; they are much larger and heavier and measure across the greatest 

 stretch 636 millimeters. 



The Florida deer is of very general distribution over the whole of penin- 

 sular Florida, but in the more thickly settled and accessible parts of the 

 State it has been much reduced in numbers of late. Its northern range 

 is unknown to me, and I am thei'efore unable to state whether or not it 

 overlaps the range of C. americanus. 



