128 



CLASS MAMMALIA. 



beam ; the first horn is only a simple pricket ; this is suc- 

 ceeded by a fork on the summit ; then two and three snags 

 on the posterior part of the curved beam, pointing upwards, 

 which is a mark of the fifth year. In old animals the supe- 

 rior part of the beam flattens, and the snags and point be- 

 come dichotomous ; while the burr having widened consi- 

 derably and increased the length of the brow antler, 

 throws up spurious collateral shoots round the base. Mea- 

 sured along the curve, the horns scarcely exceed twenty-five 

 inches in length : they sometimes vary, so that in the fourth 

 year only simple prickets about seven inches long are 

 thrown out ; which malformation has given rise to a sup- 

 posed Deer with single horns, known in the United States 

 as the Spring Buck of the Jerseys *. 



In summer the coat of the male and female, is of a bright 

 fulvous cinamon colour, changing into a fine brown-gray 

 in winter, the hairs being then annulated with brown and 

 bufF; the belly, inside of the thighs, the internal face of 

 the fore-legs, above the knees, and the posterior inner 

 border of the buttocks, are white ; the throat, breast, and 

 under part of the tail of the same colour ; the upper part of 

 the tail is dark, and the legs fawn colour ; the ears are long 

 and pointed, outside of a brown gray, inside well lined with 

 white hair ; the forehead, face, and cheeks, brown, with a 

 slight mixture of gray ; round the eyes, lips, and chin, 

 fawn colour ; the muzzle small and black, no spot on the 

 corner of the mouth, but the winter hair of the belly, and 

 under part of tail long and silky, and the bristles on the 

 inside of the hinder joint, or tibiotarsal articulation of a 

 deep rust colour: in this animal the eyes are peculiarly 

 bright, soft, and beautiful. 



This species exemplified from an individual of uncommon 



* The horns of one in the Museum of Philadelphia, correspond 

 exactly with Cuvier's figure 10, pi. 5 of vol. iv. Ossemens Fossiles. 



