THE TAIL. 



241 



mal is standing deliberating whether to run or not ; and so it is 

 when the deer approaches an object in a threatening way. When 

 it runs away in fright, it generally raises the tail to a vertical 

 position, the hairs still spread out so as to much enlarge its ap- 

 pearance. Tins, however, is by no means universally the case. 

 They frequently run at full speed with the tail as much depressed 

 as when quietly standiug. I have often observed a lot of a dozen 

 or twenty when alarmed, running from one part of the park to 

 another to escape a supposed danger, and usually have seen 

 one, or perhaps several, with the tails depressed. Indeed, a larger 

 proportion will have the flag elevated when running at a mod- 

 erate speed than when apparently doing their best. 



When a Virginia Deer is wounded, he almost invariably drops 

 his tail and runs with it pendent, or if mnch hurt, he will lash it 

 from side to side, and by this, more than any other indication, the 

 hunter determines the extent of the injury inflicted by his shot. 

 As the tail of the Virginia Deer is longer than that of any of the 

 others, so it is more used or is more frequently in motion, but 

 with all this the hairs are never perceptibly worn off as on the 

 tail of the mule deer. All the hairs on the tail are much more 

 solid, elastic, and enduring, than on the body. 



No matter what the size or color of the tail of this deer, its 

 flattened and lanceolate form and white borders will always de- 

 clare its identity to even an indifferent observer. 



As I have said, the tail of the Virginia Deer is flat and taper- 

 ing to a point. The anterior part is twice as wide as it is thick. 

 The white at the under side and the borders occupies fully two 

 thirds of the circumference of the tail. 



The tail of the Acapulco Deer more resembles that of the Vir- 

 ginia deer than any of the others ; yet it has its distinctive char- 

 acteristics. While it is considerably flattened, it is not as much 

 so as on the common deer, yet much more so than on any of 

 the others. By reference to the illustration it will be seen that 

 it does not taper regularly from the root to the point, but nearly 

 maintains its width till near the end and then tapers rapidly to a 

 much more blunt point. 



The under side is pure white, but this does not extend around 

 the sides or edges so it can be seen from a posterior view as on 

 the common deer wlien the position of the tail is depressed, but 

 only the colored portion which pervades the top of the tail is 

 seen. 



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