124 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 
The other species in my grounds shed the winter coat gradu- 
ally, much as is the case with the cow, so that the new coat has 
attained a considerable length before the whole of the winter 
coat is gone, On the Virginia deer, and especially on the 
Columbia deer, the young red coat showing through the thin rem- 
nant of the old one, gives the animal quite a curious appearance 
for a few days. 
The hairs of the summer coat differ very materially from 
those of the winter coat. They are small in diameter, and as 
solid and straight as those of the cow. Coming from the same 
roots as the discarded coat, we may assume they are the same in 
number, but they are so much smaller in diameter that they 
present an open and loose appearance, admitting freely the sum- 
mer air. With this coat there is no appreciable coat of under- 
fur. This semiannual change of coat I have only been able to 
clearly demonstrate on the body and neck, while on the head, 
legs, and tail, I can only vouch for one change of garb, which 
seems to take place later in the spring, or in the summer. This 
is certainly so, on the tails of all the species in my grounds. 
There, the old hairs are gradually lost through the summer, and 
the new ones as gradually appear and grow, and only become 
conspicuous when the winter coat comes on in the fall. The 
black tuft on the tail of the mule deer is persistent. 
The length of the summer coat on the moose, the caribou, and 
the wapiti is relatively much shorter than on the smaller species. 
On our elk it is less than one fourth the length of the winter 
coat when both are at the longest. On the mule, the Virginia, 
and the Columbia deer, it is about half the length; on the 
Acapulco deer, and the Ceylon deer, it is more than half the 
length of the winter coat, which as we shall see is very short. 
On the ears of the Virginia deer and the smaller species, the 
summer coat is very thin and light, so that the blood-vessels 
show plainly through it, and the ear appears translucent when 
the sun shines into the front side of the ear and the observer 
stands behind it. The ears of the larger species are well cov- 
ered with hairs during the summer, although light in comparison 
to the winter coat. 
The hairs of the summer coat are without any crinkled or wavy 
appearance so characteristic of the winter coat of all the Cervide. 
Indeed, this coat seems well adapted to the transmission of heat 
and to promote the comfort of the animal during the heat of 
summer ; with this great disadvantage, however, that it affords 
