NATURAL HISTORY. 



5i9 



mountains, and likewise the bor- 

 ders of tiie great plains of the Co- 

 lumbia. They are sometimes 

 fount] in the tract v>iuch lies be- 

 tween those plains and the Pacific 

 ocean. One of our hunters saw 

 one of tliis species, which was the 

 only one we have discovered since 

 our residence in Tort Clatsop. 



3. Tlie deer are of three kinds : 

 the common red deer, the black- 

 tailed fallow deer, and the mule 

 deer. 



1 . The common red deer inha- 

 bit the rocky mountains, in the 

 neighbourhood of the Chopun- 

 nish, and about the Columbia, 

 and down tlie river as low as v.'here 

 the tide water commences. They 

 do not appear to differ from those 

 of t!>e United States, being the 

 same in shape, size, and appear- 

 ance. The tail is however dif- 

 ferent, which is of an unus\.al 

 length, far exceeding that of the 

 common deer. C aptain Lewis 

 measured one, and found it to be 

 seventeen incl\cslong. 



2. The black-tailed fallow deer 

 are peculiar to this coast, and are 

 a distinct species, partaking 

 equally of the qualities of the mule 

 and the common deer. Their 

 cars are longer, and their winter 

 coat darker than those of tlie com- 

 mon deer. The receptacle of the 

 eye moie consj)icuou^i, tlieir legs 

 shorter, their bodies thicker and 

 larger. The tail is of the same 

 lengtl) witli that of the common 

 dcci", tlie hair on the under side 

 white, and on its sides and top 

 of a deep jetty black: tlielian;s 

 resemble in form and coloiu' those 

 of the mule, which it likewise re- 

 sembles in its gait. The black- 

 tailed deer never runs at full 

 f^jecd, but bounds witli every foot 



from the ground, at the same 

 time, like the nude deer. He 

 sometimes inhabits the woodlands, 

 but more often the prairies and 

 o])en grounds. It may be gene- 

 rally said, that he is of a size lar- 

 ger than the common detr, and 

 iess tlian tiie mule deer. The 

 flesh is seldom fat, and in flavour 

 is far inferior to any other of the 

 species. 



3. The mule deer inhabit both 

 the sea-coast and the plains of the 

 Missouri, and likewise the bor- 

 ders of the Kooskooskee river, in 

 the neighbourhood of the Rocky 

 mountains. It is not known whe- 

 ther tbey exist in the interior of 

 the great plains of tlie Columbia, 

 or on tlie lower borders, near tlie 

 moimtains which pass the river 

 above the Great Falls. The jjro- 

 perties of this animal have already 

 been noticed. 



4. Tiie elk is of the same spe- 

 cies with that which inhabits 

 much the greatest part of North 

 America. Tliey are conmion to 

 every part of this country, as wel 

 the timbered land as the plains, 

 but are mucli more abundant in 

 the former than in tlie latter. In 

 the month of March we discover- 

 ed several which liad not cast their 

 horns, and others where the new 

 horns liad grown to the length of 

 six inches. Tlie latter were in 

 much the best order, and fiom 

 hence we draw the inference that 

 the leanest elk retain their horns 

 the longest. 



5. The wolf is either the large 

 brown wolf, or tiie wolf of tiie 

 })lains, of wliich last there are 

 two kinds, the large and the small. 

 The laige brown wolf inhabits 

 the woody countries on the bor- 

 ders of t!ic Pacific, and the mou' 



