DEER. 



240 



we shall take them as nearly as possible in the order of 

 their locality from the north southward, subdividing 

 them at the same time into a sort of three groups, 

 which, however, are also local groups those which 

 are found both in the eastern continent and in 

 America those which are found in the eastern con- 

 tinent only and those which are found in America 

 only. 



I. DEER COMMON TO BOTH CONTINENTS. 

 REIN-DEER (Cervus tarandus). This species is 

 the Keen of the Laplanders, and the Carabou of the 

 natives of the extreme north of America. There 

 have been doubts raised as to its identity in the two 

 continents, but these doubts do not appear to be well 

 founded, as in both countries the manners and general 

 appearance of the animal are the same. It is the 

 mqst polar of the whole genus, subsisting where no 

 other ruminant animal could subsist, arid upon food 

 which could support scarcely any other animal ; and 

 it is as gentle in its manners as it is endearing, being- 

 all in aTl to the Laplanders, where no other animal 

 can be of use to them, either for labour, or, in as far 

 as ruminant animals are concerned, for food. In the 

 more northerly parts of Europe it is alone, but in the 

 north of America it blends with some of the other 

 species. This is not, however, owing to any difference 

 in the animal, but to the difference of the countries. 

 The winter in Lapland is much milder than in the 

 north of America, even in latitudes much farther to 

 the south ; and the Lapland summer is not so burning 

 as that of America ; therefore there is a difference 

 in the seasonal shifting of the quarters of the animal. 

 In Lapland it goes to the mountain in summer, and 

 descends to the valleys in winter ; and as the sea is 

 not frozen even at North Cape, the cold of the 

 Lapland winter is not excessively intense. At the 

 north of America, on the other hand, the sea is com- 

 pletely frozen over, the cold is extreme, and, from 

 the depth of the snow, food for the rein-deer there is 

 altogether inaccessible. Iu consequence of this, it 

 migrates more to the south, or farther in latitude than 

 in Europe. 



Rein-deer. 



Rein-deer vary considerably in size ; and we have 

 this proof, that though they are docile, and breed in 

 a domestic state, that state is not quite congenial to 

 them ; that they are always of more diminutive size 

 when domesticated than when wild, even though 

 they should happen to be better fed. In the wild 

 state, the full-grown male is equal in size to the full- 



grown stag, or perhaps even larger, but its legs are 

 more clumsy, its body is more squat, and, altogether, 

 it is a much less graceful, as well as a much less 

 courageous animal, than the stag. In the general 

 shape of its body, it bears some slight resemblance to 

 a calf. The neck is very short, the head carried in a 

 line with the back, and, altogether, the aspect of the 

 animal is heavy. Its body is covered with two sorts 

 of hair, one having considerable resemblance to the 

 hair of the rest of the genus, and, like that, having a 

 narrow neck at the insertion of each hair into the 

 skin. This form of the individual hairs is, so far as 

 we are aware, common to the whole genus, and 

 might, on that account, be made a character, as it is 

 not met with in almost any other animal. The hair 

 has something the form of an old-fashioned lance, 

 which was thickened toward the handle, to give it 

 stiffness, then had a narrow place for the hand to 

 grasp, and beyond that another thick portion for 

 fixing, or setting on the rest. In the hair of the deer 

 the latter portion is inserted in the skin, a small part 

 close to the skin is a mere filament, and then the 

 remaining, or principal part of the hair, is thick, and 

 tapers to a point. In consequence of this formation, 

 the hair easily separates ; but it lies flat, and does 

 not stand on end when the animal is excited, as hairs 

 do which are thick at the roots. This answers to not 

 unimportant purposes. In the first place, when the 

 animal is exposed to rain, the hairs fall flat over each 

 other, and throw off the water like a roof; and in 

 the second place, these flexible-rooted hairs give way 

 to the air much better than stiffly-rooted ones would 

 do, and, in consequence, the animal is less fatigued 

 while making its escape from its enemies. Besides 

 this hair, which is common to all the genus, the rein- 

 deer has short woolly hair among the roots, as is the 

 case with most animals of very cold climates. In 

 winter, there is a third kind of hair, which is long, 

 only thinly scattered over the upper part of the body 

 chiefly, and of a whitish colour. 



The colour of the rein-deer hardly admits of any 

 definite description, for there are great varieties even 

 in the wild state, and, as we might expect, the colours 

 of the domesticated ones vary almost as much as 

 those of cattle. There is what is understood to be a 

 sort of typical marking, namely, brownish, with white, 

 round the mouth and the horns, and also on the 

 shoulders, extending in a bar to the flanks and rump, 

 and under the tail, and white also round the hoofs. 

 The belly, and insides of the limbs, are also generally 

 white ; but some of the wild ones, and many of the 

 tame, are white all over. The fawns are generally 

 brown on the upper part, reddish on the under, and 

 dappled with white spots. 



The horns of the male are generally much pro- 

 duced and broadly palmated, being sometimes as 

 much as four feet long ; those of the females are 

 much smaller, and have the palms narrower. No 

 fixed account or representation can be given of the 

 form of the fawns, but in general the beams are 

 thrown back from the forehead, and then bent 

 forward with a considerable sweep. On their front 

 sides they bear two branches, which are sometimes 

 simple antlers, and at other times palmated or 

 snagged. The remaining snags are on the back of 

 the curves. 



The males drop, or, as it is called, mew their horns 

 about the month of November ; and the females, 

 when not in fawn, drop theirs at the same time ; but, 



