94 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



is strikingly displayed, while the head is carried low. Like so many 

 Deer, it is very fond of water, and will often wade in after water- 

 lilies, like the Moose. In the ordinary way, like most other Deer, 

 it both grazes and browses on twigs and leaves, and is very fond of 

 beech-mast. 



This is the Deer ordinarily hunted by American sportsmen, Deer- 

 shooting in the Adirondack ranges of New York State being one of 

 the recognised pastimes in the States. It does well and breeds freely 

 as a park animal, over here as well as in its native country, but is 

 not often kept in England. No Deer becomes so tame and confiding 

 as this species does in many instances, but it is also capable of showing 

 itself extremely vicious, so that it evidently cannot be implicitly trusted. 



THE MULE-DEER 



(Cariacus macrotis) 



THE Mule-Deer is one of the most distinct and handsome of American 

 Deer; it is rather larger than the Virginian at its best, and has 

 particularly big ears, whence its name. As its tail is tipped with 

 black, it is often called the Black-tailed Deer, though this name more 

 properly belongs to another American species (Cariacus columbianus). 

 The antlers of the Mule-Deer are very handsome, and branch in a 

 characteristic and peculiar way; a little distance above the head the 

 beam forks into two like a letter Y, and each of these branches 

 similarly forks again, producing a very symmetrical "head." The 

 whole antler is usually over two feet long. The colour of the coat is 

 brown in summer and grey in winter, with white on the face, under- 

 parts, and base of the tail. 



The Mule-Deer is widely distributed over western North America; 

 it keeps in small herds, and in habits is more like an Antelope than 

 a Deer, frequenting dry open country more than woods, and feeding 

 chiefly on grass. It is a fine hill-climber, and also appears to be the 

 swiftest of the Deer, which are not, as a rule, very fast animals com- 

 pared with the average Antelope ; at any rate, it appears to be able to 

 escape from both Wolves and Greyhounds. It has thriven well and 

 bred remarkably freely in our Zoological Gardens. 



