Appendix. 365 



reported it to him, called it montana, and this name, having priority, must 

 stand. 



There seems to be no doubt that Rafinesque's genus Mazama should 

 be adopted for this animal. It is true that no less an authority than the 

 late lamented Baird expressed in most unmistakable terms the opinion that 

 this name " is utterly inadmissible as a genus of mammals," but this was 

 written more than thirty years ago, and we may doubt if he would look at 

 the matter in the same way if he were alive to-day. In his article (Pacific 

 R. R. Reports, 1857, p. 665) on the genus Antilocapra he writes as follows: 

 " The generic name of Mazama, as established by Rafinesque, II., 1817, 44, 

 has been quoted by some authors for the American antelope, as well as for 

 the mountain goat and the smaller deer. An examination of his diagnosis 

 will show very satisfactorily that the name cannot be used at all, on account 

 of its embracing too many incongruous elements, as follows : 



MAZAMA. Kight front teeth on the lower jaw, none in the upper, no canine 

 teeth, grinders truncated ; head with solid, simple, straight round and per- 

 manent horns, uncovered by a skin ; neck and legs not very long, cloven hoof. 

 Tail short. Obs. This genus differs from Cervns by having simple permanent 

 horns, from the genus Giraffa by not having a skin over the horns, nor a long 

 neck, and from the genus Gazella by its horns not being hollow. It belongs to 

 the family Ruminalia, sub-family Stereoceria, next to the genus Giraffa. It 

 appears to be peculiar to America, and contains many species which had been 

 taken for deer, sheep, antelopes, &c. 



Mazama tenia, Raf. Yellow-brown above, white beneath. Horns cylindrical, 

 straight and smooth. This is the Tcmamazamc of Mexico. 



Mazama dorsata, Raf. Entirely white and woolly, a mane along the neck 

 and back ; horns conical, subulate, acute, slightly curved backward, base rough. 

 Obs. This animal has been called O-vis montana by Ord, but the genus Ovis, 

 or rather Aries, has hollow and flat horns, &c. 



Mazama sericea, Raf. White with long silky hair, no mane, &c. This is 

 the Rupicapra amcricana of Blainville, but he has not ascertained the horns 

 to be hollow. 



" Were the genus Mazama less decided in its expressions, it might be 

 taktn for either the antelope or mountain goat (better the latter), but 

 when we are positively assured that it differs from the antelope in having 

 solid horns, and from the deer merely in the horns being simple and 

 permanent, instead of branched and deciduous, there is no alternative 

 but to expunge the name from the systems until we find an animal with 

 horns like the giraffe, only much longer, and not covered by a skin." 



Except in respect to its so-called solid horns, Rafinesque's diagnosis 

 of the genus Mazama agrees sufficiently well with the characters of the 

 white antelope to be applied to it, and the whole question as to whether 



