MAMMALS OF UTAH 19 



hard beaten paths open through the snow in order to reach 

 the browse afforded by the bushes and trees. (Nelson.) 



Being protected just now by the unexcelled game laws 

 of Utah, these animals have become remarkably tame in 

 some localities. They prefer the dense brush, while the 

 mule deer seeks the open tracts of the hillsides. 



MULE DEER 



ODONTOCOELUS HEMIONUS (Rafinesque) 



Cervus hemionus Eafin., Amer. Month. Mag., 1, 1817, p. 436. 

 Cervus auritus Ward., Desc. Etats. Unis. v, 1820, p. 540. 

 Cervus macrotis Say, Narr. Long's Exped. Rocky Mts., ii, 



1823, p. 88. 

 Odocoileus hemionus Elliot, Syn. N. Am. Mamm., F. C. M. 



Pub., 11, 1901, p. 42, Zool. Ser. 

 Odontocoelus hemionus Elliot, Mamm. Mid. Amer. and W. 



Indies, F. C. M. Pub., iv, p. 76, 1904. 



Description — Winter or blue coat. — In general a warm 

 brownish, gray, thickly peppered with black tips and rings 

 on the individual hairs. The inside of legs, the belly, and 

 patch on buttocks are white. The face and throat are 

 dull white with a large black patch on the forehead and a 

 black bar around the chin. The tail is white, except the 

 bunch on the tip, which is black all. around. The legs be- 

 low the knees and hocks are clear sienna brown. Some- 

 times the breast is brownish black. This represents the 

 blue coat ; a month earlier it would have been much darker 

 and slatier. Summer or red coat — The red coat appears in 

 May and is worn until late August. It is rusty yellow 

 rather than red; the head, tail, and legs change little with 

 the season. The female is similar to the male, but duller. 

 The fawn is dull yellowish, thickly spotted v/ith white. 

 (Seton.) The tail is cylindrical, a little longer than the 

 ears, very slender, naked beneath, except at the end, which 

 is a black tuft. Horns doubly dichotomous, the forks nearly 

 equal. (Baird.) Seton gives the weight of a typical buck 

 as 215% pounds. Hornaday says that this deer is easily 

 recognized by its very large ears, the two Y's on each 

 antler, a short, white tail with a small tip of black, and a 

 white patch around the base of the tail. 



