AV THE FAR WEST. 313 



ruminants, but it is most closely allied to that of the deer. It 

 is coarse and tubular, and therefore fragile, except at the points, 

 where it is solid, and, as a result, tenacious. It differs in 

 quality in various portions of the body, that on the face and 

 abdomen being the toughest. The general colour of the 

 animal is a yellowish-tawny, but the lower part of the 

 sides, the belly, and a large patch on each flank are white. 

 The mane, which is quite conspicuous on the male, is composed 

 of long, firm, and erect red hairs. 



An important feature in the animal is its glandular system, 

 which closely allies it with the true deer. Ten of the glands, 

 all of which are dermal, are in pairs, and emit a pungent 

 odour which is more marked in the adult males than in the 

 females and young, and is stronger at certain seasons than at 

 others, being most powerful during the running period. 



If taken young, and treated kindly, this interesting creature 

 is easily tamed, and being of an affectionate disposition, and 

 intelligent withal, learns to follow a person about like a dog in a 

 short time. It is a great pet in several parts of the West, and 

 a dozen may be seen at a time running about some farmyards. 

 It does not breed in domestication, however, and I doubt if it 

 lives long, as I did not see one older than a year or two any- 

 where. If it does not join its wild companions some mysterious 

 disease, not unlike a poisoning of the blood, carries it away 

 suddenly; and when it is severely indisposed it weeps copiously, 

 as if it were in deep affliction. Even in its natural condition, 

 and amid its favourite haunts, it is often attacked by a malady 

 that destroys it in a few days, and this frequently becomes 

 an epidemic so sweeping that i'ew are left alive in a large 

 tract of country. The result is, that the animal is very 

 abundant one year and exceedingly rare another; but in this 

 it only follows some hidden law of nature relative to the deer 

 family in general. The last great epidemic occurred, as near 

 as I can remember, in 1873 or 1S74, and that swept away so 

 large a number that one section of the country was almost 

 cleared of them. 



The rutting season commences in September and lasts until 

 November, and during that time the males engage in severe 



