Hunting in Many Lands 



than the typical mule-deer of our Northern 

 States, but whether the differences between 

 the two are great enough and constant enough 

 to form a defined variety, some more compe- 

 tent naturalist must decide. Pending authori- 

 tative decision, I will submit, as a working 

 theory of a purely amateur kind, this sugges- 

 tion : that the Mexicans are right in saying 

 that the northern zone of their country con- 

 tains two varieties of deer — one a large ani- 

 mal, called "buro," identical with our North- 

 ern mule-deer; the other called "venado," a 

 mule-deer too, but only a cousin of the "buro," 

 much smaller, and with the white parts of the 

 mask, throat, rump and tail either absent or 

 much diminished in extent. 



Our journey home was accomplished in the 

 worst weather. Snow, cold rain, gales of sur- 

 prising fury, made life a struggle ; but we 

 jumped at every chance for progress, and 

 finally crossed the line twenty-five days after 

 we had left it — tired, ragged, dirty, but with 

 our mules alive and our hearts contented. 



Our experience of the peninsula indicated 

 that there were few inhabitants of any kind, 

 brute or human. We saw hardly a dozen rab- 

 bits on the trip. There were some quail and 



33 



