2 2a Deer of the Pacific Coast 



tail is hardly seen in running, as it is generally 

 carried down. And even when carried half up, 

 or even horizontal as it sometimes is, it is hardly 

 noticed like the tail of the Virginia deer, which 

 so strikes the eye at the first jump. 



The tail of the " mule-tailed " deer is from one- 

 third to one-half longer, of about equal diameter 

 throughout, with no very distinct tuft, but rather 

 a bunch of black hairs in the end. All the rest 

 is a warm white, sometimes with a tawny tinge, 

 hairs all longer than in the tail of the other ex- 

 cept at the end, where they are not long enough 

 to form any distinct tuft. The white runs to the 

 under side, where there is little or no sign of a 

 naked stripe. Some of the color of the back 

 reaches an inch or two down on the upper side 

 of the tail. This deer has also a broader section 

 of white under the throat, but it has the same 

 black forehead, the same general expression, ears, 

 and shape as the other, with the same light cin- 

 namon on the legs, black brisket, white rump. 

 Sportsmen differ about its classification as a sepa- 

 rate variety; but there is no deer in southern 

 California having that kind of a tail or so much 

 white on the throat. It is generally supposed 

 a larger deer, and it is quite probable that there 

 are fewer small specimens among it than among 

 the deer of the South. But there are some in the 

 South as large as any deer in America that are 



