534 



THE CLOVEN-HOOFED ANIMALS. 



pan, but this method of hunting has become almost obsolete. 

 Tk u/fcf t i ri The nearest relative of the Virginia Deer is 

 Deofthe ,he White - tailed Deer (Cariacus leucurus). 

 *W it s ' ze '* ' s ver y mucn the same as the Vir- 



ginia Deer, but the tail is longer and is 

 white with a reddish tinge on the upper surface, and the under 

 portion of the muzzle is also white. The legs and hoofs are 

 more slender than those of the Virginia Deer and the general 

 color is paler. From the western portions of Nebraska and 

 Dakota to the Pacific coast, through the northern part of Cali- 

 fornia and all portions of Oregon and Washington the White- 

 tailed Deer make their home amid the trees and bushes on 

 the borders of rivers and swamps. The valleys immediately 

 east of the Cascade range harbor them most abundantly. In 

 their habits they resemble other species of the family. They 

 are lively, and, when alarmed, make their escape with remark- 

 able speed, and are sufficiently wary usually to keep out of 

 range of any but long-distance shooting. 



Th RI It Another species quite common in the far 

 7 7 d Deer west ' s tne Black-tailed Deer {Cariacus co- 

 rf sr 'bed lumbianus). The upper surface of the tail 

 is black, the under portion white. The ant- 

 lers branch out in prongs, the number of branches increasing 

 with age. From the western slope of the Cascade Mountains 

 this Deer extends southward through Oregon and California, 

 and is especially a familiar feature of the redwood forests of 

 those states, although to the south the thick growths of the 

 manzanita and chapparal afford it a convenient shelter. Its 

 flesh is not much esteemed, and it is therefore not hunted so 

 vigorously as some other species. Not much success has at- 

 tended the effort to domesticate Black-tailed Deer. They 

 seem to be sufficiently amiable and friendly, but the changed 

 conditions do not agree with them, and they soon die. 



The It le Deer e Mule Deer (Cariacus macrotis) is a 



a Lame Soe ' ne 'ghbor of the two last mentioned species, 

 cips as '* '"habits the mountains of Washington, 



Oregon and Idaho. This animal never de- 

 scends to the valley unless it is driven by very severe weather 

 from its usual home on the heights. The antlers branch off 

 in double prongs and constitute a striking adornment; another 

 marked characteristic is the ears, eight inches long, which 

 give the animal its name. The color of the coat is a dingy 

 brown, changing to gray in winter. There is a black stripe 

 along the back which, according to some authorities, can be 

 erected by the animal at will. The margins of the large ears 

 and the tuft of the tail are black. The remainder of the tail, 

 which is about eight inches long, and the buttocks are white. 

 Its movements are not so lively as those of the Virginia 

 Deer. 



The venison of the Mule Deer is excellent, and it is therefore 

 a favorite game animal. A single fawn is born to the doe in 

 May or June. The little creature, which is of.a pale yellow hue 

 with white spots, is very pretty, and is cared for with great 

 tenderness by the doe until it is old enough to be weaned, 

 and even after that remains with its mother for a consider- 

 able period. The males of the Mule Deer species shed their 

 horns in March. 



There is a variety of the Mule Deer found in southern Cali- 

 fornia, Arizona and northern Sonora which is smaller than 

 those of the more northern region. Its general color is more 

 of a reddish hue, and the upper surface of the tail is black. It 

 is not found east of the Sierra Nevada range. 



The Mexican ^ sma " species, inhabiting Mexico, Central 

 or Sonora America and a part of Texas is known as 

 q the Mexican or Sonora Deer (Cariacus mex- 



icanus). Its size varies with locality, for 

 those living in the northern part of the range are, the largest, 

 the smallest being found in Central America. This animal has 

 a short tail, broad and short hoofs and its coat is of a grayish- 

 brown color, resembling the winter coat of the Virginia Deer, 

 but the Mexican Deer does not change color with the seasons. 

 Its habits are similar to those of the Virginia Deer. 



SOUTH AMERICAN DEER. 



In the Blastocerus genus, which succeed the Vir- 

 ginian Deer and its relatives, and the native country 

 of which is South America, the antlers are erect 

 and forked; the main anterior branch is always less 

 developed than is the main posterior branch; the 

 anterior member is sometimes forked; the posterior 

 always. 



Description of The best known species of this 

 the Pampas Deer genus, the Pampas Deer or Guazuy 

 or Guazuy. {Blastocerus campestris) is of moder- 

 ate proportions compared with other members of 



the family; its body is from forty-four to fifty-two 

 inches long, the length of the tail being four inches; 

 the height at the withers is twenty-eight inches; at 

 the croup thirty inches; and both the shape and 

 color of the animal are deer-like. Its antlers re- 

 semble those of the Roe buck, but they are more 

 slender and the spurs are longer. 



This Deer is plentiful in Paraguay, Uruguay and 

 northern parts of the Argentine Republic. Reng- 

 ger says that it ranges chiefly in the open, dry 

 country in thinly-populated regions and shuns the 

 neighborhood of swamps and forests even when 

 hotly pursued. It lives in pairs and in small troops; 

 old males live in solitude. During the day the 

 Deer rests in the high grass and keeps so still that 

 one can go by on. horseback without arousing it. 

 After sunset it goes in quest of food and roams 

 about all night. The doe produces only one fawn 

 at a birth, either in spring or in autumn. 



A Pampas Deer taken young becomes exceed- 

 ingly tame. It soon learns to know all members of 

 the household, follows them about, responds to their 

 calls, plays with them and licks their faces and 

 hands; with Dogs and Horses it is not only on 

 peaceable terms, but even goes so far as to tease 

 them with playful butts and thrusts; it shuns strange 

 people and Dogs. Its sustenance consists of raw 

 and cooked vegetables of all kinds; it is specially 

 fond of salt, as are all its relatives. In fine weather 

 it disports itself in the open air; during the noon 

 hours it chews the cud, and when it rains it betakes 

 itself to shelter. 



THE ROE. 



The Roe represents a special genus (Capreolus), 

 the horns of which are round, but slightly branched, 

 forked, rough and have no basal spur. 



The Roe buck {Capreolus caprcBa) attains a length 

 of fifty-two inches and a height of thirty inches at 

 the croup; the small stub-like tail is not an inch 

 <long. The weight ranges between forty and fifty, in 

 some rare cases sixty, pounds; the doe is of smaller 

 proportions. Compared with the Stag, the Roe is of 

 sturdy build, and its head is short and blunt. The 

 antlers are characterized by large, bulbous expan- 

 sions or "burrs" and relatively large shafts beset 

 . with quite broad protuberances, technically called 

 "pearls." Generally the main shaft of the horn has 

 only two spurs, but the full development of Roe's 

 antlers does not stop short at this. Blasius says 

 that ten spurs form the highest regularly developed 

 form of the Roe buck antlers. Malformations are 

 remarkably frequent in Roe buck's horns. One can 

 see antlers of the most abnormal shape in collec- 

 tions: some show a whole series of the usual spurs, 

 others are enlarged into blades, and beset with mar- 

 ginal spurs. There are Roe bucks with three horns 

 and three cranial protuberances for them, while 

 others have only one horn, the so-called " wig horn." 



The close hair of the Roe changes with the season. 

 The upper surfaces of the body and the outer sur- 

 faces of the limbs are dark rusty red in summer, 

 brownish gray in winter; the under parts and the 

 inner surfaces of the limbs are lighter. 



The Range and With the exception of the extreme 

 Favorite Haunts of north, the Roe is distributed all 

 the Roe. over Europe and the greater part of 



Asia. In the latter continent its range northward 

 includes middle and southern Siberia as far as the 

 forests extend, eastward to the mouth of the Amoor, 

 southward to the lofty mountains of India and Man- 



