238 THE DEER OF AMERICA 



largest part ; thence it tapers to a point. I have in my grounds a 

 Mule buck in his second year, whose tail in December was almost 

 the counterpart of this. In the latter part of winter it was con- 

 siderably diminished in size towards the lower portion of the 

 white, showing the tapering form down to the black tuft. In 

 July following, the white hairs were nearly all shed, leaving the 

 tail scarcely larger than one's finger, while the tuft of black hairs 

 maintained its original bigness. The vertebrae was six inches 

 long, and to the end of the tuft the tail was ten inches long. 



On the California variety of this deer, the tail has nearly the 

 same form but averages a little longer. Its great distinction is 

 in the color of the tail, which alone is sufficient to declare it a 

 very distinct variety, were other indicia, which are plainly de- 

 clared, wanting. It has the naked portion on the under side the 

 same as the eastern variety, but instead of all being white above 

 the black tuft at the end, a stripe of the color of the back above 

 the tail, with which it unites, runs down the npper side of the 

 tail and unites with the terminal black tuft. On some specimens 

 this brown stripe grows darker towai-ds the lower end, and on 

 some the tawny brown shade of the stripe invades the black tuft. 



Ordinarily the tail of the Mule Deer is carried depressed, close 

 to the body. In running it is elevated a little but not generally 

 above the horizontal ; but when the male is very happy and feels 

 very self-important he will strut about with the tail elevated to 

 a vertical position or inclining a little forward, reminding one of 

 the actions of the male goat when he feels his self-importance in 

 a high degree. This is peculiar to the Mule Deer, certainly among 

 the American species. 



It is to be regretted that this deer, with more of a white tail 

 than any other of our deer, — with in fact a white tail tipped with 

 black, — is universally called by the hunters of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains the Black-tailed Beer. As they know nothing of the true 

 black-tailed deer of the Pacific Slope, it creates no local incon- 

 venience, but whenever one's inquiries extend west of this local- 

 ity confusion necessarily results. Whether this inappropriate 

 local name will ever be given up by those who do not extend 

 their observations beyond that region, I very much doubt. 



The tail of the Columbia Deer is peculiar and characteristic of 

 the animal, and shows the appropriateness of the name given it 

 by Lewis and Clarke, of Black-tailed Beer. It is short, or about 

 the length of the tail of the mule deer. It is very nearly straight, 



