'56 GILPIN — ON THE MAMMALIA OF NOVA SCOTIA. 



and pointed muzzle of the more southern deer ; the neck is short and 

 carried low with the hair long and flowing on its lower surface, the back 

 rather straight, powerful loins and haunches, body heavy and supported 

 by stout and thick legs, and large wide spreading hoofs of the blackest 

 dyed horn. 



The animal stands with its weight resting upon the dew-claw, 

 or back hoof. Thus we see an arctic type; strong, low, broad, 

 fitted for fatigue, living in low, ever-green w"Oods and swampy bar- 

 rens in summer, in "winter running freely over the snow. Both 

 sexes have horns, the doe comparatively small ; with great irregu- 

 larity of form, those horns are all regular in two or three typical 

 marks. They have almost always one brow antler, broad and pal- 

 mated over the eye, the other corresponding antler round. A se- 

 cond brow antler fronting forward, a few inches above this ; and the 

 main shaft of the horn turned forward, more or less palmated, and 

 with more or less tines, all coming from the back or convex surface 

 of the horn. I possess a pair of horns, in which the two brow ant- 

 lers are symmetrical, resembling clasped hands over the forehead. 

 I possess another pair of very small horns, with one simple brow 

 antler, and but one tine from, a scarcely palmated horn. This last 

 came from Labrador, and I think is a doe's. The other may be 

 either a Nova Scotian or Newfoundlander. , 



Between those two, which may be considered the ultra extremes, 

 the variety is endless. Ihe bucks cast their horns in January and 

 February, the does retain them a month or so longer. The colour 

 varies in summer and winter ; the winter coat, that w^iich I am 

 most familiar with, is thick and long, of one prevailing soiled yel- 

 lowish white. The hair on the neck, breast and belly, rather 

 whiter than on the back, and the rump and tail white. The legs 

 on the outside are brownish, and have a fringe of white hair over 

 the instep, and extending to the back hoofs. In summer, towards 

 July, this thick soiled white coat is removed, and in its place a fine 

 clove brown, sometimes bright yellow brown (according to Captaiij 

 Hardy) on every part, save the neck and shoulders, rump, tail and 

 belly, with inside of the legs which are white ; the ears brown and 

 forehead white. Mr. Eagan informs me that in a September skin 

 he eaw, the line between the white and the brown was well defined 5 



