72 HOOFED ANIMALS 



the Hon. William C. Whitney caused twenty -two head to be 

 liberated there, and in 1902, forty more were set free. In 

 August and September, 1903, five car-loads of Elk, sixty -eight 

 head in all, were shipped from Mr. Whitney's game preserve 

 on October Mountain, near Lenox, Massachusetts, and lib- 

 erated at Saranac Lake, Flood wood Station and near Paul 

 Smith's Station. All these animals had become fully acclim- 

 atized on the Atlantic coast, were in fine physical condition, 

 and up to 1913 they had increased to an estimated total of 

 about 400 head. 



The Mule Deer, or Rocky Mountain "Black-Tail," 1 

 is a large and handsome animal, the largest of the North Amer- 

 ican species that are universally known as "deer." It is 

 easily recognized by its very large ears, the two Y's on each 

 antler, a short, white tail with a small tip of black, and a 

 white patch around the base of the tail. Its antlers are much 

 larger than those of the white-tailed deer. Owing to their 

 size and width, and their more erect poise on the head, the 

 appearance of this animal is more stately than that of any 

 other round-horned American deer, save the elk. 



In the region it inhabits, this fine animal is known as the 

 "Black-Tailed" Deer; but that name is not appropriate to 

 a creature which has a snow-white tail with only a tiny tip 

 of black. It rightfully belongs to the Pacific coast species, 

 which has a black tail, and is known by no other name than 

 Columbian Black-Tail. To avoid further confusion and mis- 

 understandings, nature-lovers are urged to speak of the Rocky 

 Mountain species as the Mule Deer. 



1 O-do-coi'le-us hem-i-o'nus. 



