248 Game of Europe, W. & N. Asia Sc America 



these deer to be distinguished at a ghince from any other members of the 

 family Cervn/a. 



A word may be added with regard to the foregoing statement that roe 

 resemble the true American deer in the structure of the skeleton of the 

 fore-limb. The two main toes of all deer have a complete cannon-bone 

 abov'^e them, which carries at its lower end two pulley- like surfaces with 

 which the uppermost bone of each of these toes articulates. The lateral 

 toes have, however, no complete bones corresponding to the cannon-bone, 

 but only the upper or lower extremities of such bones, which form 

 splints at one or the other end of the cannon-bone. In the typical deer of 

 the genus Cervits it is the upper splints which remain, while in the roes 

 and the exclusively American deer the lower splints persist. What may 

 be the reason for these two types of structure no one knows. 



The ordinary European roe was described by Linna'us as Cervi/s 

 caprcolus ; and those naturalists who are of opinion that a species-name once 

 given must never be tampered with consequently prefer to call the animal 

 Capreolus caprcolus^ rather than by the title standing at the head of this 

 article, which itself antedates the name Cuiprco/us cuprca. 



The European roe is one of the two smaller representatives ot the 

 genus, its height at the shoulder being about 26 or 27 inches. It is 

 remarkable for the extraordinary difference in colour between the 

 summer and winter coats, the latter ol which is much longer and 

 denser than the former. The ears are long, pointeti, and not very 

 densely haired ; while the antlers are only moderately rugose, and 

 usually ol the typical three-tined type. The general colour of the 

 winter dress is dark speckled olive-grey above and whitish beneath, the 

 legs being uniform brownish fawn. There is a whitish patch on the 

 throat, and a pure white patch on the buttocks, which extends only to a 

 very slight extent on to the lateral and upper surfaces. In the early 

 summer dress the roe is often uniformly foxy red on the upper-parts, the 



