55 



I have made our hare or rabbit peculiar, believing it to 

 be different from both the European animals of those 



of America. It has not, however, extended to our latitudes. 

 On the oilier hand, I could never learn that the round horned 

 elk has been seen further north than the Hudson's river. This 

 agrees with the former elk. in its general character, being, like 

 that, when compared with a deer, very much larger, its ears 

 longer, broader, and thicker in propoilion, its hair much long- 

 er, neck anri tail shorter, having a dewlap before the breast 

 (caruncula gutturalis Linngei) a white spot often, if not always, 

 of a ff)Ot diameter, on the hinder part of the buttocks round 

 the tail; its g:iit a trot, and attended with a rattling of the 

 hoofs; but distinguished from that decisively by its horns, 

 which are not prtlmated, bi't round and pointed. This is the 

 animal described hyCatesby as the Cervus mnjor Americanus, 

 the stag of America, le Cerf de PAmerique. But it differs from 

 the Cervus as totally, as does the palmated elk from the dama. 

 And in fact it seems to stand in the same relation to the palmat- 

 ed elk, as the red deer does to the fallow. It has abounded in 

 Virginia, has been seen, within my knowledge, on the eastern 

 side of the Blue ridge since the year 17G5, is now common be- 

 yond those mountains, has been often brought to us and tamed, 

 and its horns are in the hands of many. I should designate ai 

 the ' Aires Americanus cornibus terretibus. ' It were to be wish- 

 ed, tliat naturalists, who are acquainted with the renne and elk, 

 of Europe, and who may hereafter visit the northern parts of 

 America, would examine well the animals called there by the 

 names of gray and black moose, caribou, original and elk. 

 Mnns, de Buffon has done what could he done fmm the materi- 

 als in his hands, towards clearing up the confusion introduced 

 by the loose application of these names among the animals they 

 are meant to designate. He reduces the whole to the renne and 

 flat horned elk. From all the information I have been able to 

 collect, I strongly suspect they will be found to cover three, if 

 not four distinct species of animals. I have seen skins of a 

 moose, and of the caribou : they differ njore from each other, 

 and from that of the round horned elk, than I ever saw two 

 skins differ which belonged to different iuflividuals of any wild 

 species. These differences are in the colour, length, and coarse- 

 ness of the hair, and in the size, texture and marks of the skin. 

 Perhaps it will be founrl that there is, 1. The moose, black and 

 gray, the former being said to be the male, and the latter the fe- 

 male. 2. The caribou or renne. 3. The flat horned elk, or ori- 

 ginal. 4. The round horned elk. Should this last, though pos- 



