340 Game of Europe, W. & N. Asia & America 



has accordingly been taken into use in America, where we find the present 

 form alhided to as OJocoi/ciis awcricanus^ or Odoccvlus virgiiiianiis^ the mule- 

 deer as (). hcin'io]iU\ and so on. The present writer is, however, ot opinion 

 that a name like Oi/ocoikus (or Otfociv/us), originally applied to a tooth 

 whicli ought to have been described as Ccrvi/s (in the sense in which that 

 name was then employed), should not be admitted into zoological 

 literature at all. 



Neither is there unanimity with regard to the use of the name 

 lUiwricd/iiis for tlie present species. Till a tew years ago the name 

 virgiji'mmi s was universally employed tor the whitetail ; but certain 

 American naturalists replaced this by Erxleben's designation amcricanus, as 

 being earlier. In 1900 Dr. |. A. Allen' raised an objection to this usage 

 on the ground that the term awcricajitis was not intended by Erxleben to 

 be employed as the name ot the animal, but was merely used as an 

 adjective. And he points out that specific titles are placed by that writer 

 in the margin ot his work. It may be noted, however, that Erxleben 

 prints LUiicricaiius \\\ italics, which, in the present writer's opinion, may 

 be regarded as suificient justification for its use. In any case, having 

 replaced in Deer of All Lands the previously widely accepted virginiamis 

 by amcricamis, at the instance of American writers, the author feels no 

 inclination to revert to the original usage. 



The antlers of all the typically American deer ditier from those of 

 the true deer of the genus Cervtis (which are mainly i\n Old World group) 

 by lacking a brow-tine, and being, when fully developed, dichotomously 

 torked, trequently with a sub-basal snag, and always with the lower or 

 tront prong ot the main fork projected from the front edge of the beam. 

 They have always a gland and tuft on the hock, and usually another on the 

 cannon-bone, the position of which is very variable. Many other features 

 are distinctive ot the American deer, which will be fi)und fully described 



' American Ndttini/ist, vol. xxxiv. p. 318. 



