THE EAR. 167 



whether measured on the outside, or from the opening on the in- 

 side. So it will be observed that the opening is at the very base 

 of the ear, while, as we have seen, on the other large-eared spe- 

 cies, the moose, the opening commences two inches above the 

 head, or, for more than one sixth of its length, the ear is a closed 

 cylinder. The ear is seven inches broad, is thick and massive. 

 The outside of the ear is covered with a heavy coat of soft, gray 

 hair. On the inside it is well filled with quite a dense mass of 

 long hairs, mostly nearly white, though in the lower front part of 

 the ear they are quite dark colored. Those hairs in the front 

 part especially are inclined to curl. 



When the animal is at ease the ear is quite erect and a little 

 spreading, but when the animal is observing anything with inter- 

 est the ears are projected forward, as if to catch the faintest 

 sound. When running, the ears incline backward, perhaps from 

 the pressure of the atmosphere, to which they expose so great 

 a surface. The edge of the ear is black, which color is more 

 distinct and is broader along the upper front edge. 



The ear of Cervus Columbianus, the true Black-tailed Deer, is 

 next in size to that of the mule deer, and when these and the 

 Virginia deer are grouped together, the observer would pronounce 

 the ear of the Columbia Deer to be in size about half way be- 

 tween that of the mule deer and of the Virginia deer, though 

 a careful measurement shows that they are much nearer the lat- 

 ter than the former. 



On the adult the ear is six and one half inches long, and at 

 the widest part is six inches broad. The outside of the ear is 

 covered with a shortish, tolerably dense coat of hair, of the pre- 

 vailing color of the body. On the lower front, outside of the 

 ear, is a patch of very light gray, nearly four inches long, pointed 

 at the top and broad at the base. The hair on the inside of the 

 ear is not so abundant as on the mule deer, but there is plenty 

 of it, which is mostly white or very light drab. On the lower 

 front side, and opposite the gray patch on the outside, is a taw- 

 ny section three and a half inches long and an inch or more 

 broad, pointed at both top and bottom. The edge of the ear is 

 not black, as on the mule deer and the common deer. The ear 

 is rather thick and heavy, but much less so than on the mule 

 deer. The ear is carried more lazily than that of the mule deer, 

 though never wholly drooping, but often partially so. When the 

 animal is specially interested the ear is erect or projected for- 

 ward. When cross and threatening, the ear is laid back close to 

 the neck. 



