262 



American Deer 



Reduncina mexicana, Fitzinger, SB. Ak. Wien, vol. Ixviii. part i. p. 357 

 (1873), lxxviii. part i. p. 328 (1879). 



Cariacus virginianus mexicanus, Rhoads, Amer. Naturalist, vol. xxviii. 

 p. 525 (1894). 



Characters. — Size very much smaller than that of the typical race, the 

 height at the shoulder in Liechtenstein's example being 2 feet 9 inches. 

 Antlers smaller, but of the same general form as in the typical race. In 

 Liechtenstein's example the coloration (season not stated) is described as 

 follows. Upper-parts rusty grayish brown, without any distinct mixture 

 of red, finely speckled with whitish, the individual hairs being whitish for 

 the greater part of their length, then ringed with reddish brown, next 

 with yellowish white, and the tips black ; chest reddish brown ; under- 

 pays white ; limbs above similar to back, inferiorly without speckling ; 

 lower jaw and throat whitish, without any dark markings on the former ; 

 tail yellowish brown speckled with whitish at the base of the upper 

 surface, then more uniform rusty yellowish brown, and white at the tip 

 and beneath ; tarsal tuft brownish with a white border. The British 

 Museum has recently acquired two skins of Mexican females, the one in 

 summer and the other in winter pelage. In the former the general colour 

 of the upper-parts is speckled foxy red, but the head and ears dark speckled 

 gray, becoming tawny behind and below the ears ; no white on the muzzle, 

 but the chin, lower jaw, throat, and under-parts pure white ; tail bright 

 foxy red above, white beneath and at the margin. Metatarsal tuft very 

 small. Possibly the gray head may be due to the assumption of the winter 

 coat. The specimen in winter pelage is dark brownish gray, speckled with 

 white, but the upper surface of the tail still bright rufous. The hair is 

 much longer than in the summer specimen. These were received before 

 the description of the Texan race, with which I have not had the 

 opportunity of comparing them. 



In one of Liechtenstein's examples the antlers measure 11^ inches in 

 length, but a pair in the British Museum reach 13^ inches along the 

 curve. Specimens with eight and ten, and in one instance with fifteen 

 tines, are recorded from Mexico and Texas by Sir Victor Brooke ; some 

 of these belonging to the preceding race. The smaller specimen from 

 Guatemala referred to by the same writer belongs to M. americana nemoralis, 

 as do the Costa Rica examples described by Dr. Gray. 



