THE VIRGINIAN DEER, OR CARJACOU. 



701 



THE elegant and graceful CARJACOU, or VIRGINIAN DEER, is found in great numbers 

 in North America, and is not only interesting to the naturalist on account of the beauty 

 of its form, and the peculiarity of its habits, but is most valuable to the white and red 

 hunters, as affording them an unfailing supply of food and clothing. 



The Carjacou may be known by the peculiar shape of its horns, which, in the adult 

 male, are of moderate size, bent boldly backwards, and then suddenly hooked forwards, 

 the tips being nearly above the nose. There is a basal snag on the internal side, point- 

 ing backward, and several other snags on the posterior edge. The color of this animal 

 is extremely variable, being of a light reddish-brown in spring, slaty-blue in autumn, and 

 dull brown in winter. The abdomen, throat, chin, and inner faces of the limbs are white. 

 The fawn is a remarkably pretty little creature, the ruddy-brown fur being profusely 

 decked with white spots, arranged in irregular lines, and sometimes merging into 

 continuous stripes. The height of the adult animal is five feet four inches, measured 

 from nose to root of tail, 



VIRGINIAN DEER, OR CARJACOU. Carlacus Vlrginlanus. 



It is a timid animal, and so easily scared that the sight of a child fills it with alarm, 

 and urges it to seek refuge by flight. Yet, with a singular inconsistency, it hangs about 

 the skirts of civilization, and refuses to be driven from its favorite spots by the presence 

 of man, or even by the sound of fire-arms. Like the ourebi, it has a strong attachment to 

 certain localities, and if driven from its resting-place on one day, it will surely be found 

 on the next day within a few yards of the same spot. Sometimes it chooses its lair in 

 close proximity to some plantation, and, after feasting on the inclosed vegetables, leaps 

 over the fence as soon as its hunger is satiated, and returns to the spot which it had 

 previously occupied. The animal, however, does not often lie in precisely the same 

 bed on successive nights, but always couches within the compass of a few yards. 



