MAMMALIA 269 



cause of their hides and their horns, not to mention their usefulness as 

 beasts of burden, to be discussed later. 



The value of the hides for leather varies with the size and the species 

 of deer. In olden times elk-hide trousers were frequently worn and 

 were said to last several generations. The American Indians, in some 

 sections, still make moccasins, coats and other articles from deer 

 skin. Many thousands of deer-hides were formerly sold each year in 

 England, but the trade has now largely disappeared. 



In most species of deer (except a few forms like the caribou or rein- 

 deer), only the males have horns; these are solid outgrowths of the 

 frontal bone that are shed each year after the mating season and are 

 grown again as the next mating season approaches. These hard, 

 solid horns are used in various ways: for making "elk-horn" handles 

 for knives and other implements, and for making gelatin and size 

 (used in the manufacture of cloth). Formerly it was a prominent 

 source of ammonia, which for that reason, is still sometimes sold under 

 the name of "hartshorn." India and Ceylon were formerly, and 

 perhaps still are, the chief sources of supply for deerhorn and hundreds 

 of thousands were killed annually. 



With the advance of civilization the ranges of the various deer 

 become more and more restricted, in this country, until now it will be 

 necessary to domesticate them if they are to be saved in sufficient num- 

 bers to be of commercial value. 



According to -Lantz deer raising could be highly profitable if the 

 game laws could be changed (as they have recently been in a few states) 

 to allow the sale of venison from private estates, just as the meat of 

 other domesticated animals is handled. It is, of course important 

 that deer and other animals be protected in the wild state; but that a 

 man who buys a pair of deer and raises a herd in an inclosure should 

 not be able to sell their meat, where and when he pleases, is absurd. 

 One great advantage in raising deer over the raising of cattle is that 

 they may be kept on almost any kind of rough, mountain land that is 

 useless for any other purpose. There are hundreds of square miles 

 of waste mountain lands in the United States that could be fenced and 

 used for deer ranges, just as the level lands and grassy mountains are 

 used for cattle. 



The largest of the deer family^is the moose, Alces americanus, Fig. 

 175, a magnificent animal as large as a horse, whose head is frequently 



