VARIOUS AMERICAN DEER 361 



before them the animals, which dash away in a series of 

 leaps, in which they show their backs above the tall grass. 

 Mr. Selous states that he shot one when it was quite six 

 feet off the ground. 



The Mule Deer (Cariacus macrotis), found in the Missouri 

 basin and in the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, 

 is slightly larger than the Virginian Deer. Its distinguish- 

 ing features are the enormous size of its ears and its great 

 double-pronged antlers, which attain a length of over two 

 and a half feet, with a span of nearly forty inches. In 

 summer, when its coat is thinly haired, the Mule Deer 

 retreats to very near the snow line to avoid tormenting flies. 



The Pampas Deer (Cariacus campestris), as implied in its 

 name, is a South American species with a coat of reddish - 

 brown, glossy hair. The antler boasts of but three points, 

 the two at the extremity being far more developed than the 

 tine midway along the beam. When a hind and her fawn 

 are approached by an enemy hounds, for example the 

 mother and the young one adopt an extraordinary method 

 to secure their safety. The fawn will dash away at the 

 top of its speed for perhaps a distance of over half a mile, 

 where it will lie down in concealment. Meantime the 

 mother stands still until the dogs are close upon her, 

 when she too sets off, but in an opposite direction to 

 that taken by the fawn. She will at times slacken her 

 speed, and even assume a limping gait, all the while 

 enticing the pursuers from the original starting-point. 

 At length she will increase her speed, and, working round 

 to rejoin her fawn, will often get clear away from the 

 hunters. 



The Brockets, of which there are several species in the 

 northern portion of South America, are small animals 

 from one and three-quarters to two and a quarter feet in 

 height. The antlers of the full-grown male consist only 

 of simple spikes, such as are carried by the Red Deer in 

 its first year. 



The little Venada, or Pudu Deer (Pudua humilis), with 

 its rounded head and rather large ears, is not much larger 

 than the common hare. Its antlers are but two tiny 

 spikes. The home of the animal is in the Chilian Andes. 



