154 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



The young Elk which I had born in November, like those 

 born in the spring, had the usual ornamental coat of his species. 

 Unfortunately I was prevented from studying this specimen care- 

 fully, for I spent the sucpeeding winter abi-oad, and the keeper 

 in charge, having caught and tied him to a post in order to 

 put a ring in his nose, the youngster managed to break his own 

 neck, and even the skin was neglected, and the stupid fellow 

 could not tell whether he had lost his spots or not, or what 

 sort of a coat he had at the beginning of March ; so all that 

 I can certainly say is that he commenced the winter in a sum- 

 mer dress, but as he was always reported lively and growing 

 and in fine condition, I imagine that nature thickened up his 

 summer garb, so that it kept him warm during tlie winter. We 

 have all often seen how promptly nature responds to the de- 

 mands of necessity in similar cases. The horse that runs in the 

 fields and sleeps out in the storms during the winter, will then 

 have more than twice the coat which he has when kept in the 

 stable, though without grooming ; and the horse which is con- 

 stantly blanketed in the stable will have a much lighter coat 

 than his mate, that stands beside him without the blanket. I 

 have no doubt that my young Elk, under the favor of the same 

 law, passed a comfortable winter although he wore a summer 

 dress. 



The fawn of the Mule Deer is well covered with white spots on 

 a dirty yellowish ground. If they are smaller than on the young 

 elk, it is only in proportion to the size of the animal. They too 

 lack order in their arrangement. They occupy the same portion 

 of the body as the other, but are more abundant on the neck. 

 The white hairs constituting the spots generally disappear before 

 the body of hairs constituting the ground are shed, so that this 

 ornamentation disappears while the first coat is yet worn. In 

 the mean time, however, this coat undergoes a gradual change of 

 color, the yellowish shade assuming more of a mahogany hue. 

 This in the fall is finally cast off and is replaced by the black, 

 and then gray coat of the adult. 



The Columbia Black-tailed Deer also produces a fawn which is 

 more decidedly ornamented with the white spots than either of 

 the others above mentioned. The ground coat is a bay red, the 

 white has a cleaner appearance, the spots are smaller and more 

 abundant and are more orderly in their arrangement. Now for 

 the first time we can trace a line of spots along either side of the 

 back and even up the neck. The disappearance of these spots 



