VARIETIES OF DEER. 221 



uncommon thing for the Virginia deer of this north- 

 western country to have the outside of the tail black. 

 Deer in the northern part of North America, as a 

 rule, are much larger than those of the southern 

 climes. Bucks up here frequently reach a weight of 

 two hundred and fifty pounds, while one weighing 

 one hundred and fifty down there is considered a big 

 fellow." 



"What's the difference between the long-tailed 

 deer, the white- tailed deer, the Virginia deer, and the 

 common deer?" asked Maurice. 



" A difference in name only, " replied Dyche. " The 

 species ranges all over the United States and up in 

 the mountains of British Columbia. Some writers 

 have gone so far as to describe geographical varieties 

 of this deer. The mule deer is peculiar to the west- 

 ern half of the United States. Its natural home is 

 in the mountains, but it was formerly found along 

 the wooded streams as far east as Kansas and Min- 

 nesota." 



" You fellows would talk a pine stump deaf, " inter- 

 jected Armstrong. " What's the difference? A deer's 

 a deer. The meat is all the same. I've been eatin' 

 it for twenty-five years and oughter know something 

 about it by this time." 



"You'd better go and cut some wood for your 

 clutchman [squaw] . As I came by I saw her chop- 

 ping and splitting that old log in front of the house," 

 replied Maurice. 



" Yes, I was out huntin* all afternoon and she didn't 

 chop any wood," said the ranchman. " She can chop 

 as well as I can but waits for me to do it. When I 



