288 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



KEY DEER; "SPANISH DEER" 



ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS CLAVIUM Barbour and Allen 



Odocoileus virginianus clavium Barbour and Allen, Journ. Mammalogy, vol. 3, p. 73, 



May, 1922 ("Big Pine Key, Florida"). 

 FIG.: Barbour and Allen, 1922, pi. 5, fig. 4 (an tiered skull). 



This is the smallest of the eastern races of this deer, charac- 

 terized by its pale colors, very small antlers, and small teeth 

 (upper cheek teeth 67 mm. in combined length). It is short- 

 coated at all seasons and somewhat buffier in color than the 

 mainland form. 



This small deer is confined to a few of the outer keys off the 

 southeast coast of the Florida Peninsula, at the present time 

 being found only on the chain of islands from Big Pine Key 

 southwestward to Boca Chica, a small island 7 or 8 miles from 

 Key West; on the latter there were deer in the early nineties. 

 "Deer were killed on Stock Island, a small key adjoining Key 

 West," about 1910, but none has since been known there. 

 There were deer on Boca Chica until about the same time, 

 when they disappeared and were not again noticed there until 

 late in 1920, when two were seen. "Deer have always been 

 found from time to time on Ramrod Key, all three of the Torch 

 Keys, and probably Newfound Harbor. They swim readily 

 from key to key and if hunted on the smaller islands they leave 

 and go back to Big Pine Key," the largest of the "lower 

 keys. " On this island and some of the others the dense thorny 

 thickets of pricklypear and other growth offer them a safe 

 refuge, and in 1922 they were said to be more plentiful than 

 they had been a few years previously. 



On account of its restricted range and the assiduity with 

 which it is hunted, even by parties coming over from Cuba, 

 this small deer may be considered to maintain a rather pre- 

 carious existence, but unless its stronghold of thorny growth 

 is burned or destroyed in some other way it is likely to hold 

 out in small numbers for a long time. 



TEXAS WHITE-TAILED DEER 



ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS TEXANUS (Mearns) 



Dorcelaphus texanus Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 12, p. 23, Jan. 27, 1898 

 (Fort Clark, Kinney County, Texas). 



