THE AMERICAN DEER 977 



During the day these deer generally lie concealed among the^tall pampas grass, 

 coming out to feed at sunset, and continuing throughout the night. Their speed is 

 very great, and it is only by the very best horses they can be ridden down, while even 

 then, if the}' have any considerable start, they are pretty sure to escape. The 

 fawns are born in the winter and spring, and it does not appear that there is ever 

 more than one at a birth. Both parents aid in protecting their young, and the doe 

 is especially clever in aiding the escape of her fawn, as the following narrative by 

 Mr. Hudson shows. "When the doe with fawn is approached by a horseman," 

 writes this observer, " even when accompanied by dogs, she stands perfectly motion- 

 less, gazing fixedly at the enemy, the fawn motionless at her side; and suddenly, as 

 if at a preconcerted signal, the fawn rushes directly away from her at its utmost 

 speed, and going to a distance of six hundred to a thousand yards conceals itself in 

 a hollow in the ground, or among the long grass, lying down very close with neck 

 stretched out horizontally, and will thus remain until sought by the dam. When 

 very young, if found in its hiding place, it will allow itself to be taken, making no 

 further effort to escape. After the fawn has run away, the doe still maintains her 

 statuesque attitude, as if resolved to await the onset, and only when the dogs are 

 close to her side she also rushes away, but invariably in a direction as nearly oppo- 

 site to that taken by the fawn as possible. At first she runs slowly, with a limping 

 gait, and frequently pausing, as if to entice her enemies on; but as they begin to 

 press her more closely, her speed increases, becoming greater the further she suc- 

 ceeds in leading them from the starting point. ' ' The alarm cry of the pampas deer 

 is a low, whistling bark, but this is never uttered when the doe has a fawn by her side. 

 M , _ The marsh, or guazu deer (C. palustris) is a somewhat larger spe- 



cies, found in South Brazil, Paraguay, Rio Grande do Sul, and Uru- 

 guay; its westerly range being limited by the Parana, river. The antlers of this deer 

 of which an example is represented in the figure on p. 973, are larger and more 

 complex than those of the pampas deer, both prongs of the main fork being strongly 

 developed, and each again subdividing; the hinder prong being also generally rather 

 the heavier of the two. In contrast to the pampas deer, the marsh deer seeks out 

 swamps and lakes, where it delights to enter the water or wallow in the mud. 

 Vir inian Deer ^^ e ^ ast ma ^ n g rou P f tne American deer is typically represented 

 by the well-known Virginian deer (C. virginianus), with its numerous 

 varieties, and includes the largest representatives of the genus, as well as the whole 

 or those found in the northern half of the continent. The group is distinguished 

 by the large size and complexity of the antlers, which differ from those of the other 

 groups by the presence of a larger or smaller subbasal snag (c of the figure on p. 973), 

 and likewise by the absence of tusks in the upper jaw, and the spotted coat of the fawns. 

 The Virginian deer occurs typically in Eastern North America, but the so-called 

 white-tailed deer ( C. leucurus} of the western side of the continent can scarcely be 

 regarded as anything more than a variety, while it is doubtful if the more southern 

 form known as the Mexican deer (C. mexicanus) is really entitled to specific 

 distinction. Considering all these forms as referable to a single species, the 

 Virginian deer will have a range extending right across the American continent 

 from east to west, and from south to north from Canada to Mexico. The main dis- 

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