314 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



■were nearly as large as the mother. On these, the tuft of hair 

 over the metatarsal gland is plainly seen, while, as I have stated, 

 the hybrids from the Ceylon buck, on which this gland is ex- 

 ceedingly small, showed no vestige of the gland, the absence of 

 which they inherited from the mother. The hybrids from the 

 Virginia buck, on which the gland is conspicuous, inherited it 

 from the sire. 



The readiness with which the Ceylon does bred to the Vir- 

 ginia bucks would point to the conclusion that they are specifi- 

 cally more nearly allied than are the Ceylon and the Acapulco 

 deer, although in the former case one is more than twice as large 

 as the other ; besides, they differ very much in form, color, and 

 habit, for the Virginia deer are very gregarious, while the Ceylon 

 deer are quite solitary in their habits, never associating together, 

 except the doe with her fawns. In the other case, where I found 

 so much reluctance to inter-breeding, there is very little differ- 

 ence in size, and scarcely an appreciable difference in form, and 

 in color they are very much alike ; and, as I have in another 

 place stated, no one would suspect a difference of species, were it 

 not for the presence of the gland in the one and its absence in 

 the other, to which must be added the sexual aversion already 

 noted. None of these hybrids have as yet bred, though I shall 

 be disappointed if they do not prove reasonably fertile. In every 

 instance where I have succeeded in procuring hybrids the females 

 have not had access to males of their own species. Wherever 

 there has been such opportunity, they have always bred true to 

 the species. Now that I have procured an Acapulco buck, it 

 will be interesting to know whether the female of that species 

 will forsake her unnatural associations with the Virginia buck. 

 During the summer, these Acapulco deer seemed to take no 

 notice of each other, but in September I generally found them 

 in the vicinity of each other ; but the doe, which was fully one 

 third larger than the young buck, showed herself a vicious ter- 

 magant, and chased him about fearfully, especially if she saw me 

 feeding him. By November he began to resent this, and would 

 turn upon her and exchange a few passes, and by the first of 

 December he succeeded in conquering her, and now seems to lead 

 a more peaceable domestic life. I never saw him appear to pay 

 the least attention to any other doe in the park, though I was 

 very anxious to see him with the Ceylon does. Still I have my 

 apprehensions that both the Ceylon and Acapulco does will again 

 breed to the common bucks, for my observations have convinced 



