25° American Deer 



upper surface (Fig. 68). Ears relatively small and sparsely haired externally ; 

 tail long and pointed ; muzzle very long and slender ; face-gland very 

 small, and almost hidden by a fold of skin. Metatarsal gland, when present, 

 small, sub-circular, and usually situated in the lower third of the cannon- 

 bone, its centre being bare and black, the surrounding fringe of hair pure 

 white, and this followed by an outer ring of fawn ; tarsal tuft large and 

 whitish. General colour of summer pelage varying from bright rufous 

 chestnut to vellowish fawn or gray on the upper-parts, in winter some shade 



Fig. 69. — Front view of Frontlet and Antlers of Virginian Deer. From a specimen in the British 

 Museum. The sub-basal snag is the innermost upright prong of each antler. (Rowland Ward, 



Records of Big Game.) 



of yellowish leaden gray, faintly speckled, and often with a tinge of rufous ; 

 under-parts, inner side of thighs and buttocks, part of inner and hinder 

 side of fore-legs, lower surface of tail, chin, throat, lips, a ring round 

 the eyes, and a band round the muzzle white. Fawn normally fully 

 spotted with white. The case of the numerous forms allied to the 

 typical Virginian deer is very similar to that of the sambar group, so 

 that there is an equal difficulty in deciding whether they should be 

 regarded as species or sub-species. In 1878 Sir Victor Brooke 1 wrote 

 as follows in regard to this question : — "The number of specimens from 

 well-authenticated localities at present existing in European collections is far 



1 Proc. Zool. Soe. 1878, p. 920. 



