ORDER RUMINANTIA. 127 



molars, to the Musks, and thereby proving a further affinity 

 in the two genera of the family. 



The Mazamine Group. 



The next group of Deer composed exclusively of Ame- 

 rican animals, appears to be that to which the generic 

 term of Mazatl or Mazame (including indeed other rumi- 

 nants) was bestowed by the aboriginal nations speaking 

 the dialects of Mexico, or the Toltecan and Astecan lan- 

 guages ; they are distinguished from other Deer by having 

 in general smaller horns, with a tendency to flatten, bend- 

 ing more or less into segments of a circle, the concave part 

 to the front ; with only one anterior antler, and the others 

 either posterior or vertical. Their tails are longer than 

 the preceding, the heads longer and finer, and they are fur- 

 nished with a brush of erect hairs on the inner face of the 

 hinder joint ; they have a small suborbital pore, appearing 

 like a simple fold of the skin ; a muzzle, but no canines ; 

 their eyes are large, prominent, and soft, and the ears in 

 general long. It is as yet a question, whether the speci- 

 mens here described constitute in reality different species : 

 to admit them all as such, would, perhaps, militate against 

 precision, as it cannot be denied that several exceed the 

 proper limits which should guide us in this difficult genus, 

 where trivial and external characters are necessarily the 

 only criterion. 



Virginian Deer. (Cervus Virginianus.) The Virgi- 

 nian Deer forms the most prominent species of the 

 group, and serves for a type of the others. It is about 

 three feet three inches at the shoulder ; light and elegant 

 of form, with a long tapering nose ; the horns reclined on 

 the head turn outwards, and then with a very decided 

 curve, point their extremities forwards ; the burr is small, 

 and near it, on the internal side of the beam, rises a single 

 short antler, inclining inwards in the direction of the 



