The Columbia Blacktail 255 



the mule-deer. But it is considerable. • Both 

 are of about the same length, rarely over seven 

 inches, and in marked contrast with that of the 

 Virginia deer. But the tail of the blacktail is 

 nearly uniform in size from base down, except 

 at the tip, which comes to a sudden point with 

 a slight upward curve. It is quite black on 

 top, and about halfway down this shade spreads 

 around to the sides, shading into brown, and 

 that into white on the under side. This white 

 is wider at the root, narrowing to the tip, which 

 is nearly all black except for a few brownish- 

 white hairs. The tail is round and quite even 

 in circumference as compared with other deer 

 tails. It is carried a little higher than the tail 

 of the mule-deer, though this cannot be noticed 

 unless the animals are at rest. There is little 

 or no elevation of the tail in running, and when 

 the blacktail is under full headway one would 

 hardly suspect it had a tail. 



The feet are so nearly of the same size and 

 shape as those of other deer that one cannot 

 tell the difference in the track. And its general 

 habit of straggling here and there, crossing and 

 recrossing its trail as it gets near the time for 

 lying down, is so like the movement of the mule- 

 deer, that when one is on the border line of the 

 ranges of the two it is impossible to tell by the 

 track which one made it. 



