RUMINANTIA CERVINAE CERVUS VIRGINIANUS. 647 



parts, from near the fore legs, including the inside of the thighs and the buttocks, and the 

 under surface and sides of the tail, are white. There is also a white and abruptly truncated 

 patch on the throat opposite to the space between the rami of the jaws, of which color are also 

 the region around the eyes, (except the dusky eyelids,) the end of the chin, the sides of the 

 muffle, and the posterior portion of the ears near the base. There is a dusky ring passing over 

 and around the posterior margin of the naked muffle and encircling the lower jaw just behind 

 the white tip of the chin ; on the upper jaw, again, there is a lighter space just behind the 

 dusky one. The tail, as already stated, is white beneath, and on the sides, this color showing 

 conspicuously from above ; the upper surface is reddish at the basal half; the rest of it (coming 

 to a point in the white) is of a nearly pure sooty brown in some specimens ; in others, this is 

 overlaid with rusty so as to be obscured. In all cases, however, the white margins the dusky 

 of the tail all round as seen from above. There is generally a dusky shade towards the tips of 

 the ears. The tail is very full and bushy ; broad and depressed ; well covered everywhere with 

 hair. 



Sometimes, in old males, there is a very strong tinge of dark chestnut on the top of the head 

 and on the lower portion of its sides, the muzzle posterior to the light patch behind the 

 nostrils being quite dark and mottled with whitish. 



A single head, (1489 9 ,) marked "Black Tail deer," the precise locality of which is unknown, 

 but either from "Western Texas or the Upper Missouri, in general character of length of ear 

 resembles the Cervus virginianus. The hair of the muzzle comes down over the naked muffle 

 more in a point, however, instead of passing nearly transversly across. The ears are densely 

 coated with hair, and nearly black on the terminal half of the convexity. The chestnut of the 

 cheeks is continuous across the chin posterior to the white terminal patch. The white patch 

 between the rami of the lower jaw is considerably more restricted than in 0. virginianus. 



This deer is very different in many respects from the western species, G. macrotis and colum- 

 bianus. For the characters in which the distinctions consist, I would refer to the articles on 

 these species. A peculiar feature is seen in the very short and broad gland on the outer 

 edge of the hind leg which is about as long as the bone is wide, and is encircled by white hairs. 

 For the differences from the supposed C. leucurus, see the next article. 



The peculiarities of the horns of this deer will be best understood by reference to the accom 

 panying figure (13). 



From this it will be seen that the horn bends first backwards and outwards, then forwards 

 and outwards ; and that beyond the sub-basal snag, which starts from the inner face of the 

 antler and is directed upwards, all the branches spring from the posterior part of the main 

 stem. The figure represents an average horn ; more usually there are but two posterior 

 branches. Sometimes the basal snag is much longer than in the figure ; the curvature of the 

 horn, too, varies a good deal. Sometimes a perfectly adult, full grown male will have but a 

 single slender spike, thus resembling the buck of the second year. 



The Virginia deer is the best known, and probably the most abundant of the American deer. 



According to Audubon and Bachman, it is not found north of Maine, from which limit it is 



spread over the entire area of the United States east of the Missouri river. Although less 



common than formerly, it is met with in large numbers in the mountainous portions of New York, 



Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and States further south, as well as on the seacoast region. 



