COAT AND COLOR. 133 



On all these species also, just anterior to the angle of the mouth 

 oil the lower side, occurs another black section, which in a large 

 majority of cases resolves itself into a black band embracing the 

 lower jaw just behind the chin, though sometimes this band is 

 broken on the under side, and sometimes it widens there, so as to 

 cover the posterior part of the chin. I have studied this long 

 and carefully to find some distinguishing characteristic as appli- 

 cable to each species, but without very satisfactory results. The 

 most I will venture to say is, that I am inclined to think that 

 the black is not so deep and is rather less in extent on the mule 

 deer than on the others, but on all the sjDecies it varies very 

 much in individuals, both in extent and in depth of coloring. Its 

 great value is that it is always found in each individual in all the 

 species of this division of the family, while it is wanting on all 

 the others. On all, the anterior part of the chin is always white, 

 and so it is of a lighter shade on the elk and the caribou, but 

 on the moose it is the blackest part of the head. 



On the Moose, even when in his blackest dress, the forehead is 

 a dark chestnut color, while the face is nearly black below the 

 eyes, and the lower part near the muffle is reddish gray. The 

 rest of the head is black. 



On the Caribou the face and indeed the entire head is brown, 

 with a reddish tinge, and is the darkest part of the animal, ex- 

 cept the legs. 



There is on all the species, except the moose and the caribou, 

 a light colored band surrounding the eyes. Tliis varies consider- 

 ably in individuals, but it is always present in all ; sometimes, 

 indeed, it is hardly perceptible above the eye, while on others it 

 is there the most conspicuous, but this variation is among the 

 individuals and not among the species, unless it may be less pro- 

 nounced on the smallest — the Acapulco deer, but the number of 

 specimens of this which I have examined is too limited to enable 

 me to affirm that it is so. Its entire absence on the moose and 

 the caribou, and universal presence on all the others, is wortliy 

 of particular i-emark. 



The face of the Elk is a uniform russet brown from the antlers 

 to the end of the nose, except the white band which surrounds 

 the eye. 



There is no white under the head of our Elk, in which it re- 

 sembles the other two large species, and differs from all the 

 smaller species. 



The forehead of the Mule and the Columbia deer is either 



