238 THE DEER OF AMERICA 
largest part ; thence it tapers to a point. I have in my grounds a 
Mule buck in his second year, whose tail in December was almost 
the counterpart of this. In the latter part of winter it was con- 
siderably diminished in size towards the lower portion of the 
white, showing the tapering form down to the black tuft. In 
July following, the white hairs were nearly all shed, leaving the 
tail scarcely larger than one’s finger, while the tuft of black hairs 
maintained its original bigness. The vertebrae was six inches 
long, and to the end of the tuft the tail was ten inches long. 
On the California variety of this deer, the tail has nearly the 
same form but averages a little longer. Its great distinction is 
in the color of the tail, which alone is sufficient to declare it a 
very distinct variety, were other indicia, which are plainly de- 
clared, wanting. It has the naked portion on the under side the 
same as the eastern variety, but instead of all being white above 
the black tuft at the end, a stripe of the color of the back above 
the tail, with which it unites, runs down the upper side of the 
tail and unites with the terminal black tuft. On some specimens 
this brown stripe grows darker towards the lower end, and on 
some the tawny brown shade of the stripe invades the black tuft. 
Ordinarily the tail of the Mule Deer is carried depressed, close 
to the body. In running it is elevated a little but not generally 
above the horizontal; but when the male is very happy and feels 
very self-important he will strut about with the tail elevated to 
a vertical position or inclining a little forward, reminding one of 
the actions of the male goat when he feels his self-importance in 
a high degree. Thisis peculiar to the Mule Deer, certainly among 
the American species. 
It is to be regretted that this deer, with more of a white tail 
than any other of our deer, — with in fact a white tail tipped with 
black, — is universally called by the hunters of the Rocky Moun- 
tains the Black-tailed Deer. As they know nothing of the true 
black-tailed deer of the Pacific Slope, it creates no local incon- 
venience, but whenever one’s inquiries extend west of this local- 
ity confusion necessarily results. Whether this inappropriate 
local name will ever be given up by those who do not extend 
their observations beyond that region, I very much doubt. 
The tail of the Columbia Deer is peculiar and characteristic of 
the animal, and shows the appropriateness of the name given it 
by Lewis and Clarke, of Black-tailed Deer. It is short, or about 
the length of the tail of the mule deer. It is very nearly straight, 
