FOREST AND STREAM 
38 
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Jls itmal ^istorg. 
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THE GLANDULAR SYSTEM ON THE 
HIND LEG OF THE CERVID^E AS 
DESIGNATING SPECIES. 
BY J. D. CATON, LL.D. 
To Charles Hallock —Dear SirI take pleasure in an¬ 
swering* your inquiries in reference the glands found on 
the hind legs of the deer. But first, I must thank you for 
an acquaintance with Dr. Gilpin and Mr. Morrow, and 
through them with other gentlemen of Halifax, who have 
rendered me great assistance in the study of this subject. 
As early as 1836 Dr. Cray made some observations to the 
Zoological Society of London “on the tufts of hair ob¬ 
served on the posterior legs of animals of the genus census 
as characteristics of that group, and a means of subdivid¬ 
ing it into natural sections. 
Notwithstanding this early suggestion, even "Dr. Gray 
himself seems not to have appreciated the importance of 
the subject, for he never afterwards used these tufts of hair 
as a means of distinguishing the species of the genus, so 
far as I am informed; and when in his specific descriptions 
he has referred to them there is noticeable a want of that 
care which is usually observed in his writings on natural 
history. Indeed, I do not find that he ever afterwards al¬ 
ludes to the subject in the light of his first suggestion. He 
never explains to us their significance or their peculiarities 
as found on the different species. 
Some years since my attention was attracted to these 
tufts of hair found on the four different species then in my 
grounds, our elk or wapiti (Canadensis), the mule deer (ma¬ 
cro tis) of the Rocky Mountains, the Columbia black tailed 
deer (Columbianus) of the Pacific coast, and the common, or 
Virginia deer, (C. 'Virginianus). I observed that they were 
exactly alike in location, size, form, and coloring on every 
individual of each species, and entirely unlike those on 
each of the other species, so that an inspection of the pieces 
of skin containing these tufts of hair would enable one 
with absolute certainty to declare the species to which it 
belonged. This led me to a closer study of these tufts of 
hair and what they covered. A dissection of the parts, 
with microscopical examinations, disclosed that they cov¬ 
ered cutaneous glands, those on the outside of the hind 
legs being more perfectly organized and more active than 
those on the inside of the hock. The former have long 
been recognized and named metatarsal glands . The latter I 
have called, for the purpose of distinction, dermal glands . 
I have not space to give more than a general, superficial 
description of them. 
On the wapiti deer the metatarsal gland is situated on the 
outside of the hind leg near the back edge, and just below 
the up end of the metatarsus is entirely covered with long 
white hairs, which curve forward as if to embrace the leg, 
so far as their length will perrpit. These long white hairs 
covering the glands are surrounded by a band of short cin¬ 
namon colored hairs about half an inch wide, and below 
the gland a stripe of the same colored hairs three fourths 
of an inch wide extend down the posterior edge of the leg 
to the foot. A correct description of one is an exact de¬ 
scription of all in the herd, both male and female, varying 
only in extent according to the size of the animal. On this 
species, and on this species alone, the dermal gland is en¬ 
tirely wanting, there being no vestige of the gland or tuft 
of hair on the inside of the hock on our elk. This fact 
was first noticed by Professor Baird, but he mentions it 
with doubt and hesitancy, from the exceptional character¬ 
istic and the limited number of specimens he had to ex¬ 
amine. 
The metatarsal gland on the mule deer commences just 
below the upper articulation of the cannon bone, is on the 
outside and near the back edge of the hind leg, is covered 
with a black horny scale, which is a condensed secretion 
from the gland, and may be peeled off without much vio¬ 
lence, showing the soft rose colored skin beneath, pierced 
by innumerable canals from the gland beneath the cuticle. 
This naked part over the gland is six inches long and half 
an inch wide on the fully adult male, and is diminished in 
size in proportion to the size of the animal, whether male 
or female. This gland is surrounded and overlopped by a 
tuft of long hairs of the same color as on the balance of 
the leg, not a white hair appearing among them. The der¬ 
mal gland is present on the inside of the hock covered by 
a tuft of long raised hairs, disposed in a descending direc¬ 
tion. This tuft is pear shaped, with 'the ‘-smaller portion 
above, is two and one half inches long and one and one 
half inches broad at the lower end, and is of a lighter 
shade than the surrounding hairs. 
On the black tailed deer the metatarsal glancl commences 
a little lower down than on the mule deer, is half the length 
and width of that on the mule deer, but in other respects 
the general description is the same. The dermal gland is 
appreciably smaller, but in other respects bears the same 
general description as that on the mule deer. 
On the common deer the metatarsal gland commences at 
the middle of the leg near the posterior edge. The naked 
portion extends downward five eighths of an inch, and is 
three sixteenths of an inch broad. This is surrounded by 
a tuft of long reversed white hairs, which again is sur¬ 
rounded by a very delicate border of tawny hairs shorter 
than the white but longer than those of the higher shade 
beyond. This tawny border is wanting in the variety 
found in the far west and north, known as the white tailed 
deer, or long tailed deer, and by naturalists described as a 
doubtful species, C. tucurus.' A careful study and compari¬ 
son show this to be identical with our common deer, the 
only observable difference being the absence of this small 
colored band, and generally the animal being of a lighter 
color, the white regions being more extensive. 
The small deer found in Texas and Mexico, and hitherto 
designated C. Mexicanus , upon a careful examination is also 
found to be but a variety of our common deer, differing in 
no respects from those fonnd in the eastern States, except 
that they are smaller in size. 
The dermal gland on the Virginia deer is also covered 
entirely with a tuft of white hairs, varying not much in 
relative size, and similarly disposed as on the others de¬ 
scribed. 
I have in my grounds a very small species of deer, 
brought from southwestern Mexico (Acapulco),which more 
nearly answers to C. purcheran than any other described 
species, and yet is not well described as such, and may 
possibly prove to be an undescribed species. On this new 
species the metatarsal gland is entirely wanting, nor is there 
the least appearance of a tuft of hair on the outside of the 
hind leg. The dermal gland, however, is present, covered 
with a tuft of hair similar to that on the Virginia deer, 
except that it is not white. 
I also have another species of deer from Ceylon, resem¬ 
bling much the deer from Acapulco, though larger, on 
which both glands are present. That on the outside of the 
leg is situated a little lower down than on the Virginia 
deer, the naked portion of which is about the size of a bar¬ 
ley corn, and is surrounded by a small tuft of white hairs, 
and it requires a pretty close scrutiny to observe them if 
the animal is standing twenty feet distant, as the white 
hairs are partially covered up by long colored hairs. 
We will now pass to the larger species of the deer family 
found on this continent—the moose (Cralces), and the cari¬ 
bou, or reindeer (C. sylvetais , var. Tarandus). A critical and 
extended examination proves that the metatarsal gland is 
entirely wanting on both these species, and it is worthy of 
remark that this peculiarity is observed on the largest and 
the smallest of the species inhabiting North America, while 
this gland is present on all the intermediate species except 
the caribou, so far as my researches enable me to speak. 
Of the presence or absence of these glands on the barron 
ground caribou (C. Arctica), I am unable to speak. It has 
long been a question of doubt whether our moose be iden¬ 
tical with the European elk (C. alces ), and our caribou identi¬ 
cal with the European reindeer, (C. Tarandus). Dr. Gray 
in his descriptions of both these European species, tells us 
that the metatarsal gland is present. He, of all others, 
should not be mistaken in this regard, and if he is not, then 
we have a difference established at once, which should go far 
to show that they should be ranked as different species. 
But a careful examination of this question I shall reserve 
for another occasion, after I become better informed as to 
some important facts bearing upon it, merely remarking 
here that Dr. Gray himself considered these glands or the 
tufts of hair covering them as the most reliable indicia to 
distinguish the different species of the cervidce, and when 
we observe how exactly they are alike on every individual 
of any one species, both male and female, and how very 
dissimilar they are on the different species, we are quite 
prepared to agree with him in his conclusion. Still, it is 
possible that Dr. Gray may have been mistaken in his state¬ 
ment that this metatarsal gland is present in both of the 
European species which he describes, and I hope yet to ob¬ 
tain additional information on a subject which is assuming 
great scientific importance. 
The dermal gland is present on both the American spe¬ 
cies referred to, and they maintain their integrity by being 
exactly alike on every individual in the respective species. 
On our moose the dermal gland and tuft of hair covering 
it are very small, not larger than that on the small Acapulco 
deer. The tuft is black, and pear shaped, but, unlike all 
the others, it occupies a horizontal position, the small end 
occupying the anterior position. 
On the woodland caribou the dermal gland and tuft of 
elevated hairs covering it are much larger, as large in pro- 
tion as on the smaller species. It nearly corresponds in 
color with the region around it. Like all the others, it is 
pear shaped, and it occupies a vertical position, with the 
small end upwards. In all the hairs are long, are elevated 
rather than reversed, and always point from the small to 
ward the large end of the tuft. 
In all cases these tufts covering the glands, and the 
glands themselves, are as near alike as possible in all the 
individuals of any given species, but they resemble each 
other in the different species much more than those on the 
outside of the leg, which, as before remarked, are so very 
dissimilar as to enable one to distinguish and identify the 
species by these alone. 
Should this paper fall under the observation of any one 
having the facilities to verify the observations of Dr. Gray 
upon the European elk and reindeer, who will carefully 
examine for these glands and the tufts of hair covering 
them, and especially if those on the outside of the hind 
leg are actually present, and advise me of the result of such 
examination, he will lay me under great obligation. Sim¬ 
ilar information relative to our barren ground caribou 
would also greatly oblige me. 
Ottawa , Illinois , February. 1874. 
Animal and Vegetable Life on the Isthmus.— In 
Commander Edward P. Lull’s report of the expedition un 
der his command, which has been searching the route for 
an interoceanic canal through Nicaragua, we find the fol¬ 
lowing in regard to the insects, lizards, etc., of this trop¬ 
ical region:— p 
Insects, lizards, etc., had been so common from the first 
that the most of them had ceased to be annoying. Mos¬ 
quitoes at night, and in the swamps at all times; and bv 
day wasps, hornets, and large flies, particularly a large yel¬ 
low species, which drew the blood every time it alighted 
upon the skin. Another of the pests of nearly every 
camp was the alligator ant, which attains a length of nearly 
an inch, and whose bite is as painful as the sting of the 
hornet, and apparently even more poisonous. Among the 
many favors which had been bestowed upon us by Mr 
Runnels and his family, of Virgin Bay, was a present to 
each officer of a cedren bean, said to be a certain remedy 
for the bites of poisonous snakes or the sting of tarantulas- 
fortunately, we never had occasion to test its merits, though 
there were many narrow escapes. Parasite vines of all 
sizes and colors, and festooned in every imaginable form 
were so common that a snake hanging from a limb of a 
tree would often be unnoticed by the officers and sailors 
though never by the macheteros, who seemed to be on the 
constant lookout for them. Occasionally one of the for¬ 
mer would suddenly feel himself seized and jerked back 
and would find that the keen eye and strong arm of one 
of the natives had rescued him from an enemy that he him¬ 
self had not seen, though perhaps looking directly toward 
it and not a yard from" it. The officers and men of the 
expedition, which was divided into several parties of ex¬ 
ploration, were all well, though nearly everybody was 
suffering with innumerable itching sores upon all parts of 
the person, produced partly by dietetic and possibly by cli¬ 
matic causes, but mainly by the bites and stings of in¬ 
sects, and the poisonings of different vines and plants. 
Although the region in which the parties were operating 
contained several estates more or less cultivated, yet by far 
the greater part of each line was through an unbroken 
virgin forest, the rank, tropical vegetation in many places 
forming a perfect jungle. Occasionally were met large 
areas filled with the terrible pica-pica, as it is called by the 
natives. It is a tall bush, loaded with a kind of bean 
whose pods are covered with a down consisting of minute 
barbed needles; they are detached from the "bush at the 
least shake given to it, and alighting upon the person pro¬ 
duce perfect torture, seeming to penetrate through the 
clothing as easily as into the unprotected parts of the skin; 
the sensation produced is exactly like that of fire. It was 
sometimes found impossible to cut through the pica-pica 
at all, and slight deflections of the line /were caused by it 
several times. It is only at certain seasons that the pica- 
pica is so troublesome, and the expedition experienced it 
at its worst. 
Singing Fish. —I was a passenger on board a Bombay 
vessel, cruising about among the Malayan Islands; and the 
weather being warm, I and my friends spent most of the 
time on deck. One evening about nine o’clock, as we sat 
merrily chatting together on the ship’s poop, we suddenly 
heard wild, sweet music, that seemed to rise from the sea, 
just below our feet. 
At first it was only a soft trill, as of a single voice; then 
a full chorus of voices burst upon our enraptured ears, till 
the very deck beneath our feet seemed to vibrate and 
tremble under the influence of its thrilling sweetness. But 
still we saw nothing, though every eye was peering wist¬ 
fully out over the waste of waters; and at last we came to 
the conclusion that it was a trick played on us by our lhn- 
loving captain, perhaps by the aid of ventriloquism. He, 
however, stoutely denied any agency in the matter, and 
told us gravely to “keep a close lookout on the lee bow” if 
\ve wanted to see a Mermaid. The motion we felt, he as¬ 
sured us was the Mermaid’s dance, and their efforts to drag- 
down the ship ! After he had enjoyed the joke to his 
heart’s consent, he explained to us that both music and 
motion were caused by singing fish. These, by coming in 
great numbers, and clinging to the bottom of the ship, had 
caused the electric vibrations we felt, as well as the sweet 
music that had so delighted our ears. In proof of his as¬ 
sertion, he produced several bonajide specimens of the fish, 
taken by one of the sailors with a net. Alas ! for all the 
fairy pictures we had been so ingeniously weaving—our 
much lauded songsters were only little brown fish about 
six inches long, oval-shaped, awkward looking and ugly— 
quite unfit to be eaten—apparently of no use to the world 
but to sing. Upon the wonderful performances of these 
little fish, I have not the slightest doubt, have been based 
all our pretty fables of the Mermaid—her beauty, songs 
and fascinations. 1 afterward repeatedly heard their sere¬ 
nades, and always with increasing delight; and I still have 
in my cabinet of oriental curiosities several well preserved 
specimens of these Singing Fish.—[Bright Side. 
* THE CANADIAN MARMOT. 
St.„Jo hn > N. fi. 
Edit ok Forest and Stream:— 
But few persons, I find, seem to know of the existence of this little an¬ 
imal in our Province, at least by name. I know I didn’t until I captured 
one in the country one day, and until I consulted Natural History,which 
gives a full description of the Marmot. I thought I had only got a wood¬ 
chuck, which they resemble somewhat in appearance. This is how 1 
captured my specimen, which I kept alive for eight years and a half: It 
was on the 3d of June, 1865, while on my way to Lock Lomond (16 miles 
from St. John), in company with some friends for a day’s enjoyment. I 
observed one of these little animals sitting on a log fence alongside the 
road. My frierr* J. M. W-, getting out of the carriage and creeping 
softly behind it, dealt it a gentle tap on the nose with the butt-end of the 
whip handle, just sufficient to stun it and make a capture. I brought it 
home and had a fine large house made for it. One day, about the mid¬ 
dle of October, some three months after I had captured it, I went to its 
house as usual to feed it. Finding that it did not make its appearance 
as usual at the bars of the cage to receive its food, I opened the door of 
the sleeping apartment, and there found it coiled up in the hay like a 
ball, and sound asleep. Not being able to awaken it, I thought perhaps 
it was numb with the cold. .the weather at this time being raw and fall¬ 
like. I brought it into the house and placed it before the fire, and before 
fifteen minutes it commenced, as I thought, to thaw out, and finally 
stretched out its fore paws like a dog or cat is seen to do when awaking 
out of a sound sleep; the thought then struck me that it perhaps was 
one of the so-called ‘‘seven sleepers,” so I concluded to put it back in its 
house and watch the result, and sure enough it soon coiled itself in 
the hay again, and before long was wrapped in the arms of Morpheus. 
Its house remained out in the open air all winter,-and the Marmot re¬ 
mained in this dormant state, without eating a particle of food, until one 
day in the month of April it made its appearance at the bars of the 
cage and ready for a good‘‘square meal.” This wonderful freak of na¬ 
ture was continued every year, retiring about the latter part of October, 
and remaining dormant until the month of April. It was curious to see 
it, sitting on its haunches like a squirrel, and with its fore paws fill H 8 
