Chap. 2. 



QUADRUPEDS OF VERMONT 



51 



THE COMMON DEER. 



DOMESTIC QUADRUl'LDS. 



in the western states. A specimen of this 

 species, preserved in the Philadelphia 

 Museum, measures seven feet and seven 

 inches from the tip of the nose to the 

 base of the tail, and the horns measure 

 three feet and ten inches. The animal 

 was 13 years old. 



THE COMMON DEER. 

 Cervus virginianus. — Gm el. 



Description. — Form light and slender ; 

 color reddish fawn in summer, and grn.y- 

 ish in winter; horns moderate, with an 

 Jintler placed high on the inside of each 

 shaft, and two or three others on the pos- 

 terior side, turned backwards, but varying 

 with the age of the animal; lachrymal 

 pits formed by a fold in the skin; muzzle 

 partially developed ; tail proportionally 

 longer than in the preceding species, and 

 thin; no canine teeth. Length 5 feet -j 

 inches, tail 10 inches, height 3 feet, 

 length of the head 12 inches, of the 

 horns, following the curvature, 22 inches. 

 Weight from 9U to 130 pounds. 



HisTORV. — When the country was new 

 this deer was one of the most common 

 and valuable quadrupeds found in our 

 forests, and upon its flesh were the first 

 settlers of the state, to a very considera- 

 ble extent, dependent for food. Indeed 

 so eagerly was it hunted, and still so 

 anxious were the people for its preserva- 

 tion, that a law for its protection from the 

 lOtli of December to the 10th of June 

 was one of the earliest acts of our legisla- 

 ture. But notwithstanding all that has 

 been done for their preservation, their 

 numbers have been constantly diminish- 

 ing within the state, till they have be- 

 come exceedingly scarce, except in a few 

 of the most unsettled and woody sections. 

 The range of this species is very exten- 

 sive, reaching from Canada to the Oro- 

 noco in South America. In its form this 

 deer is slender and delicate : and its neck 

 and tail proportionally longer than in 



most other species ; but at the same time 

 it possesses great muscular power, and 

 runs with surprising speed. It is a very 

 timid and shy animal, and, possessing a 

 keen sense of hearing and smelling, it is 

 found to be very dithcult to approach 

 within gun shot of him without his taking 

 alarm. In the fall the deer are in good 

 condition, and the venison valuable. In 

 the winter they herd together, and, when 

 the snow is deep, they form what are 

 called '■^ yards,'" where they tread down 

 the snow and gain a scanty subsistence by 

 browsing the trees and bushes. During 

 this period they become very lean, and 

 neither the .^kin nor the flesh is of much 

 value. They produce their young in the 

 early part of summer, and have two, and 

 sometimes three, at a birth. The fawns 

 are at first reddish, spotted with white. 

 They lose their spots in autumn and be- 

 come gray in winter. This coat is shed 

 about the first of June and in summer 

 they are nearh^ red, which color continues 

 till August and then changes to hive. The 

 skin is said to be thinnest in the gray., 

 toughest in the red and thickest in the 

 hive : the skin and the flesh being most 

 valuable in the blue. The horns of the 

 male are shed in January. The deer is 

 said to manifest great enmity to the Piat- 

 tle-snake. When it discovers one of 

 these reptiles, it leaps into the air above 

 it and alights upon it with all four of its 

 feet brought together in the form of a 

 square, and this operation is repeated till 

 the hated reptile is destroyed. 



DOMESTIC QUADRUPEDS, 



Thus far we have confined ourselves to 

 an account of the Quadrupeds which have 

 been found in Vermont in a wild state. 

 In addition to these we have several quad- 

 rupeds whicli have been introduced and 

 are kept in a domesticated state. The fol- 

 lowing is a list of such as may be retrard- 

 ed as permanent residents. 



Order Carnivora. 

 Cdiiis familiaris, The Doo-. 



Fclis catvs. The Cat. 



Order Pachydkrmata. 

 Eijvus cahallus. The Horse. 



Equus ashii/s, Tlie Ass. 



Shs sera/a, The Hoof. 



Order Rcminantia. 

 Bos taurvs. The Ox. 



Oris aries. The Sheep. 



There are a few other Quadrupeds, 

 which are sometimes kept as a matter of 

 curiosity, such as the Goat, the English 

 Rabbit, the Guinea Pig, &c. 



