254 American Deer 



Distribution. — Eastern North America, namely from Maine over much 

 or' the United States east of the Missouri river, typically from Virginia 

 and Carolina, and probably ranging as far south as Louisiana. 



Habits. — One of the most striking peculiarities in the habits of this 

 beautiful deer is the manner in which it runs when first disturbed. This it 

 does in a kind of rush, with the head carried very low, and the tail elevated 

 over the back ; it never bounds after the manner of the mule-deer. By 

 elevating the tail its pure white under surface is displayed ; and this, with 

 the white or the inner surface of the buttocks, produces a conspicuous 

 recognition mark. A full account of the habits of this deer in the Adiron- 

 dack Mountains of New York has been published by Dr. C. H. Merriam, 

 while Mr. Caton has contributed much important information as to its 

 habits in captivity, and especially in regard to the periodical changes of coat. 

 In spite of incessant persecution, a few years ago it was still the most 

 abundant of the larger mammals in the Adirondacks, where it is found both 

 high up on the mountains and in the valleys below. And it resorts alike to 

 the thickest covert and to the open grass lands. During the warmer months of 

 the year its diet is a varied one, comprising leaves and shoots of trees, various 

 wild fruits, such as blackberries, grass, and aquatic plants ; beech-mast being 

 very largely consumed in the autumn. So long as food of this nature is 

 obtainable the deer thrive and keep in good condition ; but when the snow 

 is on the ground, where it frequently lies for half the year, they are often 

 hard pressed for provender. When beech-mast is abundant, and can be 

 reached by scraping away the snow with their hoofs, they do fairly well ; 

 but when the supply of this food is small, or the snow unusually deep, they 

 are driven to browse on the twigs and shoots of various trees and shrubs, 

 including both the deciduous kinds and conifers. A few mosses and lichens 

 are also cropped when opportunity offers. Thin as they become towards 

 the end of a hard winter, no sooner does the succulent marsh grass spring 

 up in the lowland meadows than they rapidly regain good condition. 



Although after the snow has melted in the forests and new vegetation is 

 sprouting, the deer forsake the open meadows for the thickets, a large portion 

 of their sustenance is obtained during the summer in the neighbourhood of 

 water. And from June till the latter part of August herds of these deer 

 visit the streams and lakes of the Adirondacks during the night, and return 

 at daybreak to the shelter of the forests. To obtain the leaves and seed-pods 



