76 ' Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



spring the new horns begin to grow. During this growth, 

 which is very rapid, the horn is covered with a soft, thick, 

 fleshy skin, which is abundantly suppHed with blood vessels, 

 and the surface is covered with a growth of closely-set hair, 

 which is called the 'Velvet." If this vascular skin is wounded 

 or lacerated in any way it bleeds very freely. By the time the 

 horns are fully grown the blood vessels close of themselves 

 and the blood supply to them is cut off, the skin dries and 

 sloughs off, a process that the animals hasten by rubbing their 

 horns against trees, bushes and the ground. In taking hold of 

 the horns during the growth of this vascular skin, I have noticed 

 they felt very hot to the touch, indicating a vigorous circulation. 



For a more minute account of the life history of this deer, 

 see the excellent work on the ''Antelope and Deer of America," 

 by John Dean Caton, LL. D., published in New York in 1877. 



The following observations on the Virginia deer have been 

 made in the Cincinnati Zoological Garden, running over a 

 period of many years. In the healthy and vigorous animal 

 the horns are shed from the first to the middle of May. If 

 vitality is impaired in any way, it is sometimes later. The new 

 horns begin to grow at once, and during the summer are in the 

 "velvet." When the horns are grown the "velvet" dries up 

 and begins to peel off. By December it is all off and the horns 

 are hardened. The rutting season then begins. The young- 

 are born in June. 



The Virginia deer in captivity, though a native species, is 

 one of the most difficult to keep in good condition during the 

 summer, and not until cool weather comes, in the fall, do they 

 get sleek and fat. In this respect they are different from the 

 several exotic deer, usually kept in the Garden, which seem to 

 retain their good appearance throughout the year. The color 

 of the pelage in Ohio specimens varies from chestnut red in 

 summer to yellowish gray in winter. They are difficult to 

 tame unless taken very young. They can then be tamed com- 

 pletely, and while young make amiable and interesting pets, 

 but as they get older they become a nuisance in various ways. 



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