The Black-Tail Deer. 127 



All deer vary greatly in size ; and a small black-tail 

 buck will be surpassed in bulk by many white-tails ; but 

 the latter never reaches the weight and height some- 

 times attained by the former. The same holds true of 

 the antlers borne by the two animals ; on the average 

 those of the black-tail are the heavier, and exceptionally 

 large antlers of this species are larger than any of the 

 white-tail. Bucks of both kinds very often have, when 

 full-grown, more than the normal number of ten points; 

 sometimes these many-pronged antlers will be merely 

 deformities, while in other instances the points are more 

 symmetrical, and add greatly to the beauty and grandeur 

 of the head. The venison of the black-tail is said to 

 be inferior in quality to that of the white-tail ; but I 

 have never been able to detect much difference, though, 

 perhaps, on the whole, the latter is slightly better. 



The gaits of the two animals are widely different. 

 The white-tail runs at a rolling gallop, striking the 

 ground with the forward feet first, the head held for- 

 ward. The black-tail, on the contrary, holds its head 

 higher up, and progresses by a series of prodigious 

 bounds, striking the earth with all four feet at once, 

 the legs held nearly stiff. It seems like an extraordinary 

 method of running; and the violent exertion tires the 

 deer sooner than does the more easy and natural gait 

 of the white-tail ; but for a mile or so these rapidly 

 succeeding bounds enable the black-tail to get over the 

 ground at remarkable speed. Over rough ground, along 

 precipitous slopes, and among the boulders of rocky 

 cliffs, it will go with surprising rapidity and surefooted- 



