132 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 
largest of these, the mule deer, the hairs ahpve extend down 
between the nostrils for half an inch or more, terminating in a 
point at an angle of perhaps eighty degrees, while on all the 
others, the upper border of the naked portion passes directly 
across from one nostril to the other, at their upper extremities. 
This naked portion extends around the upper lip, to a point ex- 
actly below the centre of the nostril; so that the posterior half 
of the nostril is only separated from the hair by an exceedingly 
narrow naked border, while all is naked around the anterior half, 
Always on all the species last named, the anterior point of the 
hair on the upper lip, where it meets the naked muffle under the 
nostril, is white. This white portion, although always present, 
varies much in extent. Posterior to this white spot, frequently 
occurs a black section extending back to the angle of the mouth, 
and from the mouth upward, embracing the posterior part of the 
nostril, and uniting on top with a similar black section from the 
other side, constituting a black band passing over the nose from 
the mouth on one side, to the mouth on the other. Not uncom- 
monly, especially on the Virginia deer, this black section is not 
continuous, but is confined to a section back of the nostrils, thus 
not reaching the mouth. On the Virginia deer the hair above is 
separated from the naked muffle by a narrow white band, which 
on some is scarcely more than half a line wide, while on others it 
is fully three lines wide. This white border can generally be 
detected on the other species, scarcely larger than a thread, but 
is always the most conspicuous on the Virginia deer. 
Back of this black section when it descends to the mouth, 
commencing at the angle of the mouth, occurs a white section 
the upper and posterior border of which is not well defined. On 
some specimens it is quite limited in extent, while on others it 
diffuses itself over the whole face, posterior to the black portion 
above described, which it sometimes compresses into very narrow 
limits on top, while on others the black occupies the whole face 
up to the eyes. Indeed this is nearly always the case on the Aca- 
pulco and Ceylon deer, though it never occurs on the mule deer 
and rarely on the Columbia deer, but happens very frequently on 
the Virginia deer. Thus it will be seen that the markings are on 
all alike till we come to the extent of the white portion posterior 
to the black band which passes over the nose just above the nos- 
trils. Above that and even in that itself great irregularity is 
observed in the markings, only that there is always some white 
portion adjoining this black, though sometimes it may occupy 
but a small space just above the angle of the mouth. 
