132. THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



largest of these, 'the mule deer, the hah's above extend down 

 between the nostrils for half an inch or more, terminating in a 

 point at an angle of perhaps eighty degrees, while on all the 

 others, the upper border of the naked portion passes directly 

 across from one nostril to the other, at their upper extremities. 

 This naked portion extends around the upper lip, to a point ex- 

 actly below the centre of tlie nostril ; so that the posterior half 

 of the nostril is only separated from the hair by an exceedingly 

 narrow naked border, while all is naked around the anterior half. 

 Always on all the species last named, the anterior point of the 

 hair on the upper lip, where it meets the naked muffle under the 

 nostril, is white. This white portion, altliough always present, 

 varies much in extent. Posterior to this white spot, frequently 

 occurs a black section extending back to the angle of the mouth, 

 and from the mouth upward, embracing the posterior part of the 

 nostril, and uniting on top with a similar black section from the 

 other side, constituting a black band passing over the nose from 

 the mouth on one side, to the mouth on the other. Not uncom- 

 monly, especially on the Virginia deer, this black section is not 

 continuous, but is confined to a section back of the nostrils, thus 

 not reaching the mouth. On tlie Virginia deer the hair above is 

 . separated from the naked muffle by a narrow white band, which 

 on some is scarcely more than half a line wide, while on others it 

 is fully three lines wide. This white border can generally be 

 detected on the other species, scarcely larger than a thread, but 

 is always the most conspicuous on the Virginia deer. 



Back of this black section when it descends to the mouth, 

 commencing at the angle of the mouth, occurs a white section 

 the upper and posterior border of which is not well defined. On 

 some specimens it is quite limited in extent, while on others it 

 difliuses itself over the whole face, posterior to the black jjortion 

 above described, which it sometimes compresses into very narrow 

 limits on top, while on others the black occupies the whole face 

 up to the eyes. Indeed this is nearly always the case on the Aca- 

 pulco and Ceylon deei', though it never occurs on the mule deer 

 and rarely on the Columbia deer, but happens ver}' frequently on 

 the Virginia deer. Thus it will be seen that the inarkings are on 

 all alike till we come to the extent of the white portion posterior 

 to the black band which passes over the nose just above the nos- 

 "trils. Above that and even in that itself great irregularity is 

 observed in the markings, only that there is always some white 

 portion adjoining this black, though sometimes it may occupy 

 but a small space just above the angle of the mouth. 



