THE ROEDEER 969 



r^ 

 mountains, or in any particular place where the moose were accustomed to pass. 



Spaces were left vacant here and there in this fence, and in these snares were set, in 

 which the unfortunate animals became entangled. 



The flesh of the elk, in spite of some coarseness of grain, is generally regarded 

 as forming excellent venison, although it is said to have a slightly musky taste. 

 The large and fleshy nose is, however, esteemed the greatest delicacy, and is reported 

 by those who have had the opportunity of tasting it to be absolutely unrivaled. Elk 

 manage to maintain themselves in fair condition throughout the winter, so that their 

 flesh is eatable when that of the ordinary American deer is so poor and dry as to be 

 unpalatable. 



THE ROEDEER 



The roedeer {Capreolus caprea}, while agreeing with the reindeer and the elk 

 in the conformation of the bones of the lower part of the fore-legs, differs entirely 

 from both in the form of its antlers, as well as by its greatly inferior dimensions, be- 

 ing, in fact, one of the smallest representatives of the family. Moreover, whereas, 

 the two genera just mentioned have a circumpolar distribution, the roe is strictly 

 confined to the Old World. 



The roebuck when fully adult stands about twenty-six inches in height, and has 

 antlers somewhat less than twice the length of the head. These antlers are rough, and 

 have a straight and nearly cylindrical beam, rising for some distance nearly verti- 

 cally from the skull, and then giving off one forwardly-directed tine from its front 

 edge, after which the beam curves backward and terminates in a simple fork. The 

 roe's antler is therefore three tined like that of the- Indian spotted deer, but differs 

 in that instead of having a true brow-tine, the first tine is not given off till about 

 the middle of the entire length. The average length of the antlers is from eight to 

 nine inches, but it is said that a pair from Austria have been recorded in which the 

 length was fifteen inches. The antlers of the roe are more subject to malformations 

 than those of any other species, and they sometimes show a mass of ill -formed tines. 



The roe has a relatively-short head, with moderate ears, a very small gland be- 

 low the eye, and the naked portion of the sharp muzzle small and not extending be- 

 yond the nostrils. Normally there are no tusks in the upper jaw, and the tail is 

 short and rudimentary. The neck is rather long and slender, and carried high above 

 the level of the back, and the limbs are likewise slight and delicately formed. In 

 summer the color of the fur is reddish brown, but in winter, when it becomes thicker 

 and finer, the tint changes to yellowish gray. There are some black and white 

 markings on the lips, and there is a large patch of white on the buttocks inclosing 

 the tail, while the under parts and the insides of the limbs are pale yellowish fawn. 

 The fur of the fawns is spotted with white. The weight of a full-grown buck may 

 reach sixty pounds. 



The common roe is an indigenous inhabitant of the British Isles and 

 Distribution ^ greater part of Europe, extending northward to the south of 

 Sweden, and southward to Italy and Spain. In Russia it is confined to the regions 



