254 Deer of the Pacific Coast 



are reliable. But I am certain that very few 

 of the bucks will weigh over one hundred and 

 twenty pounds, dressed. Does are not likely to 

 run over eighty or ninety at best. The length 

 of a good buck from tip of nose to root of tail 

 as he stands is about five feet three inches, with 

 a girth of three feet at the shoulder. Its height 

 at the brisket is about eighteen inches, or about 

 the same as the shank of the hind leg. More 

 will fall short of these figures than come up to 

 them, though some are longer legged, and some 

 longer or deeper bodied than others. The red 

 or bay coat of early summer has a richer tinge 

 than on the Virginia deer, and more of this 

 remains visible in the gray coat of winter than 

 on the other. In other respects the coat is much 

 the same. 



Always bad enough as an index of age in any 

 deer, the antlers of the blacktail are still worse. 

 They are generally delicate and well propor- 

 tioned, but most of them are merely forked 

 horns, presenting few points compared with the 

 age of the buck. A good pair will be twenty- 

 two or three inches long, with a spread of two 

 feet or even more, though it is often less. What 

 in the East would be called a very fine head is 

 rare among these deer. 



A careless eye would note little difference 

 between the tail of the blacktail and that of 



