THE TAIL. ' 289 



tiiough a slight upward and tlien reversed curve may be observed. 

 It is an active member that is capable of being whisked about, 

 though it is not much used in that way. The position in which 

 the tail is carried is in marked contrast to that of all the other 

 deer. This position is not vertical or depressed against the body, 

 but it stands out in a drooping or inclined position about in a line 

 with the backbone, from the top of the hips posteriorly, or per- 

 haps in a few degrees more depressed. 



In form the tail is round, terminating with a, sharp but abrupt 

 tip, the point of which is on a line with the lower side of the tail 

 or a little depressed. It is covered all around with hairs of nearly 

 a uniform length, giving it the form described. 



On top and on the sides at the lower end for half its length 

 the tail is black. Thence upward the ends of a part of the hairs 

 become tipped for a quarter of an inch or more with a tawny 

 shade. The number of these increase rapidly as we ascend in 

 the examination, and the bodies of the hairs become lighter, 

 especially on the lower half, until near the root of the tail the 

 lower half of the hair becomes a light gi'ay, then intervenes a 

 considerably darker shade, terminating with the tawny tip which 

 gives a reddish cast to the upper portion of the tail. The under 

 side of the tail is white, near the root fully one half of the cir- 

 cumference ; but a little lower down, not more than one quarter 

 of the circumference is white, so that we may properly say that 

 there is a white stripe along the under side of the tail which is 

 bordered by a russet streak on each side along the lower half 

 more conspicuous towards the end, and as these russet hairs and 

 even some of the white ones are longer than the black, the ex- 

 treme point of the tail is a tawny white. A careful inspection 

 shows that the hairs attached to the lower side of the last inch 

 of the vertebrae are all black, with different degrees of intensity 

 on their outer parts and the inner portions white or tawny, 

 whereas above that point the white hairs maintain that color the 

 whole length. The tail tapers slightly and has a slight upward 

 curve, as shown in the illustration. 



The above descriptions are from the only four I have, one male 

 and three females now in my grounds, whose tails are almost ex- 

 actly alike ; yet I have a number of specimens which I obtained 

 from dried skins in Victoria, B. C, and Portland, Oregon, some 

 of which are considerably longer and a little more pointed at the 

 ends. Still all hold their bigness with great uniformity to very 

 near the extreme ends, and in this respect differ very much from 



