ART. XII -ON CONSOLIDATION OF THE HOOFS IN THE VIR- 

 GINIAN DEER. 



By Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A. 



Mr. George A. Boardman, of Calais, Me., has obligingly submitted to 

 ray examination the feet of a Deer {Cariacus virginianus) displaying the 

 abnormality of consolidation of the hoofs. 



The state of the specimens does not permit any examination of the 

 condition of the bones themselves. As well as can be judged from inspec- 

 tion, and by feeling through the dried skin which covers them, they are 

 entirely normal. 



The false hoofs are present and of ordinary characters. 



The malformation seems to be confined to the horny substance of the 

 true hoof, which is consolidated with its fellow of the opposite. The 

 union is complete along the whole inner margins of the hoof, excepting 

 a notch between the two halves at the end less than half an inch in 

 depth. 



Viewed from above, the hoof shows its composition by lateral halves, 

 there being a profound longitudinal sulcus, along the bottom of which 

 groove is the line of union, complete to within less than half an inch of 

 the end. 



On the plantar surface, the confluence of the hoofs gives a nearly 

 plane surface, without special indication by a sulcus of the line of union, 

 to within about an inch of the end, where a median depression, bounded 

 by raised edges, marks the seam, the extremity being nicked, or notched, 

 as already said. The outer border of the sole of the foot is smoothly 

 rounded off behind ; but anteriorly, for about half the length of the whole 

 hoof, the margins are raised and sharp-edged, — this edge terminating 

 behind in a scroll-like inversion. This sharp margin is the outer edge 

 of each hoof along that portion of its length which is ordinarily applied 

 to the ground. 



The profile view of the hoof displays the deformity of excessive growth 

 in length, the whole hoof being unnaturally elongated, with the end 

 curved upward, rendering the fore border strongly concave in profile, 

 and causing the hind and under border to fall into one long and con- 

 tinuous curve, with convexity downward. 



Besides such elongation and curvature, the whole hoof is unnaturally 

 contracted, or laterally compressed; the sides, which should expand 

 downward and outward, curving downward and toward each other, so 



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