THE DEER FAMILY. 337 



THE DEER FAMILY. 



There are many species of deer. Strictly speaking 

 none of them are fur bearing animals, but some of them 

 are noticed here because they are as familiar to most of us 

 as the Dogs and Cats that are the household pets in so 

 many homes. They are of commercial importance on 

 account of the value of their horns, hair and hides, the 

 service they can be trained to render to mankind, and 

 the food with which they supply him; to say nothing 

 of their effect upon subsidiary wild life, or the use the 

 natives of their various habitats make of the skins of the 

 deer for clothing and other purposes. 



The East India Deer (Cervus-axis), whose antlers are 

 used in the manufacture of knife handles and whose skins 

 make excellent leather, are sometimes used by the furriers 

 in making foot muffs. It is an abundant animal, which 

 inhabits India and Ceylon. It is a beautiful and graceful 

 creature with numerous white spots upon its light brown 

 coat which on the belly change into white lines. 



It is characteristic of the axis, which in India is also 

 known as the chital, that the three points on the antlers 

 are thrown forward, with the exception of the second 

 tine which points backwards. It is generally found 

 among bushes or trees in the neighborhood of water, and 

 in bamboo jungles, either on the plains or at an elevation 

 of three to four thousand feet. The Axis are gregarious 

 and good swimmers, taking readily to the water. 



There is great variation as regards the pairing sea- 

 son and the shedding of antlers, bucks with fully devel- 

 oped antlers, and young fawns, being met with at all sea- 

 sons. 



The Fallow Deer (Dama-vulgaris) is the best known 

 of all the deer family. It is found in the greater part of 

 Europe, and has a light brown body spotted with white. 

 The inside of the legs is a beautiful fawn color, and the 

 black tail is tipped and edged with white. In some speci- 

 mens, that have no white markings on the tail, the legs 

 and points are brown and the general color of the body 



