86 NOKTH AMEKICAN FAUNA [No. 55 



buck will sometimes gather a few does and keep off the smaller 

 bucks, but more generally he will stay with one doe for a few days 

 and then seek another mate. In places the herds or bunches remain 

 together for at least a part of the winter. More often, though, they 

 get scattered out and are kept more or less stirred up and on the 

 move. Usually twin fawns are born in June, rarely 1 and as rarely 

 3, beautifully spotted with white over a tawny or fawn-colored back 

 and sides. The spotted coat is worn until the first molt in August or 

 September, when the fawns are well grown and running with the 

 mother. 



Food habits. Mule deer are mainly browsing animals, picking 

 the buds, tips, leaves, flowers, and seed capsules from a great variety 

 of bushes and plants. Mountain-mahogany is one of their favorite 

 food plants, and the leaves, buds, and seed capsules are often closely 

 browsed. Bitterbush (Purshia) and various species of CeanotJms 

 are eaten, and raspberry and rosebushes are closely cropped. Only 

 in early spring do they feed to any extent on green grass or newly 

 sprouted grains. Generally no trace of grass is found in the stomach 

 contents. 



The practice of killing bucks only should be carefully considered. 

 As soon as there are too few bucks for the number of does the re- 

 striction should be removed until the herd again becomes well 

 balanced in sexes not more than 5 does to 1 buck. Studies of game 

 management have not gone far enough to determine definitely how 

 often a season of hunting both sexes should be allowed, or whether 

 an occasional open season on does is preferable. But in many States 

 these important questions are being earnestly considered. When 

 each doe is not bearing and raising her usual two fawns, there is some 

 good reason, generally not enough male deer, or too many coyotes or 

 bobcats on the breeding grounds. 



Econcmtie status. Over much of the rough arid mountain country 

 of eastern Oregon the mule deer is the most valuable game animal, 

 suited as it is to a type of country in which neither domestic stock 

 nor other game animals will thrive. If given proper protection these 

 areas could support thousands of deer and provide good hunting 

 where now there is little or none. The usual method of unrestricted 

 hunting soon cleans out the deer in the open country they naturally 

 inhabit; and only a limited license system, based on the estimated 

 number of deer to be spared each year in each area, would serve to 

 maintain the breeding stock as desired. 



ODOCOILEUS COLUMBIANUS COLUMBIANUS (RICHARDSON) 



COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER ; BLACKTAIL ; ELULA of the Wasco ; MOOS-MUS of 



the Klamath (O. H. M.) 



Cervus macrotis var. Columbians Richardson, Fauna Boreali-Amer., v. 1, p. 257, 



1829. 

 Cervus lewisii Peale, U. S. Exploring Exped., v. 8, pp. 39-41, 1848. Type from 



mouth of Feather River, Calif. 



locality. Mouth of Columbia River. 

 General characters. Smaller than the mule deer, and darker, with forked 

 antlers (pi. 21, B), medium-sized metatarsal glands, lower down on the hind 

 legs than in the mule deer and higher up than in the whitetails ; tail, bushy, not 



