IO THE MAMMALS OF THE WOODS 



th:lll thl . hind-quarters, is about 40 inches long, and 29^ inches high. The head 

 is short the neck is slender- longer and thinner in the female, shorter and 

 thicker in the male ; and the fore-legs are 18, and the hind ones 19 inches m length. 

 The delicate feet end in small pointed black hoofs. The eyes are large and dark ; 

 the ears are covered inside and out with hair ; and there is no apparent tail. The 

 weight varies with age and food, but may reach 66 lbs. The coat changes in 

 colour according to season-in summer it is uniformly bright chestnut; in winter, 

 brownish grey, with a white rump-patch. The under-parts of the body are lighter 



ROEBUCK AND DOE. 



than the upper. The chin, lower jaw, and a spot on either side of the upper jaw, 

 as also the aforesaid patch round the root of the tail, are white. The 

 chief characteristic of the rump-patch is the mobility of its hairs, which can be 

 drawn together or expanded at will. When danger threatens, the patch is greatly 

 enlarged, and thereby serves as an alarm-signal. White, black, and mottled 

 roebuck are frequently met with. White individuals, which generally have 

 white hoofs and red eyes, and are thus real albinos, are not only produced by 

 similar albinos, but also by those of the normal colour; they are of frequent 

 occurrence on both sides of the Bohemian Forest. In winter so-called black 

 roebuck are stated to be found most frequently in Westphalia, in the Biickeburg, 



