84 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb. 33, 1888. 



On the side the Engineer located, the ground was 

 entirely submerged. The best locality he could discover 

 was a thick cluster of ragged bushes. These he climbed 

 into. A few ducks came around the previous afternoon, 

 but the shooting from that stand was not first-class. Now 

 and then a duck would light in the rear where a shot 

 could not be had and sass the "bushwhacker" in a pro- 

 voking way. So during the morning a more favorable 

 place was speedily looked up, where position was taken in 

 the Amateur at one edge of a heavy growth of timber and 

 under a thick cover of overreaching branches. The 

 twenty mallard decoys had been put out thirty yards or 

 more in front in a natural haphazard manner. A light 

 rain prevailed to deaden the reflection, and a sufficient 

 breeze existed to set the decoys in motion. 



And sure enough there was a flight, not such as one 

 sometimes gets, but sufficient to keep the sportsman 

 eagerly on the watch. Yonder come a pah-, will they 

 turn this way? Yes, indeed ! See them set their wings 

 and push in toward the decoys. Now they circle and 

 come in the rear, and pass to the left. Here they come 

 again, closer this time, but still too far for a shot. Away 

 they go to the far shore. Back again in a minute, closer 

 this time. Look out, Mr. Sportsman, keep rigid as an old 

 log or you are detected. Ah, they veer and go over be- 

 hind again where the rush of their wings can be heard for 

 a moment only. Here they come once more, against the 

 wind this time, straight for the decoys — this is your 

 chance, be sharp— quick— bang, bang. Eh ! old fellow, 

 miss with the first barrel, kill with the other, what's that 

 for? "Bushes in the way and the duck twisted on me." 

 The bird is retrieved. In ten or fifteen minutes the chat- 

 tering of an old drake's bill is heard. Soon with his flock 

 he is seen. They circle two or three times, get a hint that 

 something is wrong, and with whistling wings hurry 

 away. 



So all the forenoon interest in the flight is kept up, even 

 now and then a fine old mallard falling to the guns. So 

 that when the Boss and Amateur are paddled down to the 

 Green wing the score is brought above the lowest she had 

 ever gone home with. When tied together in pairs and 

 hung up to advantage in the stern of the launch they 

 make quite a creditable display, and number forty table 

 ducks— all mallards but four— three snipe and three fish 

 ducks. 



At two o'clock on Saturday the anchor was weighed 

 and a final start for home made. It was down stream this 

 time, and in less than two horns the shrill whistle was 

 blowing the signal of return. 



"Can you pick up that buoy ?" was asked of the Pilot as 

 a small white block of wood loomed up on the surface of 

 the water a few hundred yards away. 



"Pick up that buoy ! Of course Lean ! I can split it," 

 indignantly retorted the Pilot. The Engineer and Fire- 

 man smiled slightly, for there was a smart cross wind, 

 and the Greenwing is deep astern and light draft at the 

 bow, and when slowed up she is easily sheered. 



"Hold on ! Stop her ! Back her !" "comes in quick suc- 

 cession from the Pilot who has not yet fully learned the 

 signals for the bell. And by that time the wheel was 

 directly over the buoy, and to have put it in motion would 

 have endangered the line attached to the buoy. So the 

 wind is waited on to get us away a bit. Presently the 

 launch is pushed ahead, and the Pilot takes a Circuit for 

 the buoy, but he is too close and makes a complete circle 

 with the buoy as a center. He then makes a trip out to- 

 ward the middle of Lake Centennial, rounds to, makes a 

 straight course for the buoy again. When near the buoy 

 the Greenwing gets demoralized and wobbles about much 

 after the manner of a drunkard in a public thoroughfare, 

 and the buoy is missed by ten feet or more. In the mean- 

 time a few skiffs have moved away from that part of the 

 lake to give the Pilot ample sway. What was that the 

 Pilot said on viewing his next failure? "Jam the jam 

 buoy ?" 



"Well, jam her, Mr. Pilot — split it." • And the next 

 time the Greenwing was backed straight away, and the 

 Pilot made a final bulge for the white block, making this 

 time a nice allowance for windage, when the elusive buoy 

 came alongside and was taken aboard and the line made 

 fast to the post in the bow of the Greenwing. 



As we moved away from her, after having sent all the 

 traps ashore, it was remarked that the Greenwing looked 

 as innocent as a sucking lamb, as though she had never 

 kicked up any deviltry in all her days. But surely she 

 was a gay deceiver, having more pranks at her command 

 than a festive plantation mule. Ta, ta, Mrs. Greenwing, 

 may you long flourish even w r ith your capricious ways. 



Vicksbcrg, Miss., Jan. 31. W. L. P. 



THE AMERICAN CERVIDvC. 



BY R. W. SHUFELDT. 



TEN years ago when Judge Caton published his ex- 

 cellent and useful volume on "The Antelope and 

 Deer of America," that careful observer treated of eight 

 species of deer, which he took to be all the then repre- 

 sentatives of this group in our fauna. 



It will be seen in the U. S. National Museum List, which 

 I published in my last contribution to this journal, on 

 the Peccary, that ten species of deer are there considered 

 to belong to the North American fauna; these are arrayed 

 in four genera, while Caton retained his eight species in 

 two genera, or all in the genus Cervus, except the bar- 

 ren-ground caribou, which was placed apart in the genus 

 Rangifer. 



Now Cervus dices of Caton, "the Moose," has come to 

 be Alces machtis of the above named List; the name for 

 the "Elk" remains the same in both, i. e., Cervus cana- 

 densis. Next we arrive at a point of difference in these 

 two authorities, which owing to the lack of literature 

 and specimens I am, at the present time, unable to make 

 clear, and I trust some of the readers of Forest and 

 Stream, more fortunately situated in these respects than 

 I am, will throw some light upon the subject. I place 

 the authorities and species opposite each other for com- 

 parison. 



Caton. U. S. National Museum. 



Cervus tarandm. Woodland Car- Rangifer tarandm, Reindeer, 

 ibou. 



Rangifer tarandm caribou, 



Woodland Caribou. 



On page 326 of his work, Judge Caton gives it as his 



opinion that "the Eeindeer and our Woodland Caribou are 

 specifically identical," in which case R. tarandus and 

 li. t. caribou in the List of the TJ. S. National Museum, 

 would be equal to his Cervus tarandus, an explanation 

 which may be the correct one. Further investigation 

 upon this subject seems to be desirable. 



The "Mule Deer" of Caton (Cervus macrotis) is the same 

 animal as the Cariacus macrotis of the List I published, 

 as is the "Black-tailed Deer" (Cervus columbianus) of the 

 first named authority, the Cariacus columbianus of the 

 U. S. National Museum. Again the "Common Deer" of 

 Caton (Cervus virginianus) is the "Virginia Deer" of my 

 "List" or Cariacus Virginia nus. Rangifer groenlandicus, 

 the "Barren-ground Caribou" of Caton, is the R. taran- 

 dus groenlandicus of the U. S. National Museum "List," 

 but the former author describes the Cervus acapuleensis, 

 the Acapulco deer, which I take to be the Cariacus 

 toltecus or Yucatan deer of the U.S. Museum "List." 

 and if it be not this species I am at a loss to make an 

 agreement in the case. Judge Caton describes no species 

 which corresponds with the "Black-faced Brocket" 

 (Cariacus rufinus) of the above-named List, a species 

 ranging from Mexico to Ecuador. This then appears to 

 be the difference between the two authorities in question, 

 for Judge Caton does not take into consideration the C. 

 rufinus, and believes the reindeer and woodland caribou 

 to be identical species, thus reducing his list of deer to 

 eight, while ten species are enumerated by Mr. True in 

 his "List" of the IT. S. National Museum; and, as I have 

 already remarked, it does not lie within my power to 

 decide upon this difference at the present writing. 



In order to secure fitting illustrative figures of the 

 ( ', ; ■■''!<!' for the contribution in hand, I overhauled all 

 my sketches, cuts, engravings and pictures, but have 

 failed to find anything better, nay, nothing so good for 

 my purpose as the unpretentious yet truthful representa- 

 tions of these highly interesting animals in Caton's work 

 upon their natural history. The elk alone formed an 

 exception to my choice, and its figure was chosen from a 

 woodcut in my possession, the author being unknown to 

 me. I copied all of Judge Caton's figures, and present 

 them herewith, grouped in one plate, and a handsome 

 representation thev are for us of the family in the United 

 States. 



Restricted as the space of necessity must be in an arti- 

 cle like the present, I can, of course, do little more than 

 notice some of the leading characters and habits of these 

 species now under consideration, and to such an essay I 

 must limit myself. No American naturalist, sportsman, 

 lover of the forests, and the manly pursuits of the chase, 

 will be without a copy in his library of Caton's "Antelope 

 and Deer of America;" while the back numbers of Forest 

 and Stream offer a perfect mine of information upon the 

 natural history of our Cervidaz, chapters which one never 

 wearies of reading. 



Seven or eight years ago, at a time when I hunted a 

 good deal through central Wyoming, and in the moun- 

 tain ranges there found and killed deer, as well as saw 

 many, many others shot by my companions, every one 

 spoke of killing "black-tail," and I never heard the name 

 "mule deer" applied to any variety in that region. Yet 

 that is the very heart of the range of the true type of the 

 mule deer (C. macrotis), and the black -tail is not to 

 be found there. These two -forms seem to have been 

 originally confused by those veteran explorers, Lewis and 

 Clarke, and in the minds of many I am satisfied that the 

 matter is as yet by no means cleared up. Even old hunt- 

 ers have often asked me, whether I would know a nrnle 

 deer if I shot one, speaking of the animal in a somewhat 

 doubtful way, as were it some rare hybrid, while perhaps 

 they may have just slain one. 



Speaking of the mule deer, Caton tells us that "west of 

 the Rocky Mountains this deer is met with almost every- 

 where, though much more abundantly in some places 

 than others. In the Coast Range of northern California 

 they are almost entirely replaced by the Columbian black- 

 tailed deer, while in the Coast Range of southern Cali- 

 fornia scarcely any other deer is met with. Here, how- 

 ever, a very distinct variety of this deer occurs, differing 

 in important particulars from those found east of the 

 Sierras, as will be more particularly explained hereafter. 

 In all of Oregon, in Washington Territory, and in British 

 Columbia, this deer is met with, though much less abund- 

 ant than the true black-tailed deer, or even the Virginia 

 deer. This deer occupies about thirty degrees of latitude, 

 from Cape St. Lucas on the south into British Columbia 

 on the north." By comparing Figures 1 and 4 of the 

 present paper it will at once be seen how different appear- 

 ing animals these two deer are; and there is no mistaking 

 the huge ears of C. macrotis, and the large, pencil-like 

 tassel which finishes off its tail, as compared with the 

 very different form of these appendages as they are found 

 to exist in the true black-tail. 



We often hear the mule deer spoken of as a clumsy, 

 uncouth creature, or even a homely brute, but the writer, 

 who has as yet failed to find an ugly object iu the entire 

 realm of living nature, from a swan to a snapping turtle, 

 must declare that such sentiments are entirely lost upon 

 him, for of the thousand and one lovely scenes the forests 

 of my country have yielded me, none for the moment 

 appeared more charming than when my eyes were first 

 feasted by the sight of nine mule deer,' bucks, does and 

 kids, that I suddenly aroused from their siesta in a sunny, 

 rocky gorge in the heart of the Big Horn Mountains. A 

 few bounds and the entire big-eared party turn and face 

 the intruder, standing sidewise, but heads turned so as 

 to look directly at you; what could be more tempting to 

 one bent upon their destruction, for there are their fore- 

 heads and shoulders, both deliberately exposed. Your 

 wicked rifle speaks out its sharp report; down goes the 

 biggest buck in the bunch , while all the others by a series 

 of bounds soon reach the hill-crest beyond you, where, 

 appaiently somewhat fatigued by the' sudden exercise, 

 they again offer another shot. This deer is not much of 

 a runner, and as in other members of it3 tribe, its eye- 

 sight is not of the keenest, though hearing and smell are 

 both acute. 



Strange to say the true black- tail deer (C. columbianus) 

 is restricted to a very limited range, lying within the 

 temperate zone and confined to a narrow strip of country 

 on the Pacific slope of the Rockies; and, so far as I know, 

 the species does not occur beyond this. It has never been 

 my good fortune to see this deer in its native haunts, but 

 we are told that "the bifurcated antler and the bounding 

 gait observed in the mule deer are found also to be char- 

 acteristics of this deer, but they are strictly confined to 

 these two species; nor is it easy to conceive why this 



laborious and fatiguing gait has not in the course of time 

 given place to the more easy and enduring running pace 

 of the Virginia deer, which inhabits the same country." 

 (Caton.) 



Passing next to the common or Virginia deer we meet 

 with a species that enjoys a wider geographical range 

 than any other representative of the familv m the entire 

 world. It is found in every State and Territory of the 

 Union and may be taken north and south from Canada 

 to Panama. No kind of country seems to come amiss to 

 it; I have shot them in the dense pines that clothe the 

 sides of the Rocky Mountains; and again on the level 

 prairie, fifty miles from the nearest butte: and finally, 

 when standing up to my knees in a waste of marsh land 

 and my game in its very midst. Wonderfully beautiful 

 in form and graceful in action, this species is by far the 

 most engaging of its kind, and in countries where it has 

 been much hunted, requires the best talent of the sports- 

 man to successfully hunt it down. Owing to its wide 

 range and the varying influences of the climate, con- 

 ditions and food to which it is submitted, fairly well 

 marked varieties may be picked out coming from the ex- 

 treme limits of its domain; but naturalists have failed 

 thus far to draw constant characters to distinguish these 

 apart, and in reality they are seen to intergrade in all 

 directions. Further study, however, and careful com- 

 parison of a sufficient series of specimens will undoubt- 

 edly reveal the fact that at least two, or perhaps three, 

 "good species" are now in existence. 



One who has carefully examined the antlers of the 

 three above mentioned deer would have no difficulty in 

 distinguishing them, and their most evident individual 

 peculiarities are by no means badly shown in the figures 

 illustrating this paper. The males alone of these species 

 possess normally these appendages, and they all have 

 their seasonal shed for them, the parts passing through 

 the well-known metamorphoses in being reproduced 

 afterward. All three of the species have both the tarsal 

 and metatarsal glands, and in all the lacrymal sinus is 

 present in front of the eyes. Space will not admit of my 

 dwelling upon the description of these last two named 

 and interesting structures here. The black-tail and Vir- 

 ginia deer are of about the same size for both sexes, 

 while the mule deer is larger than either of these species; 

 the does of any of the three, I believe, can have as many 

 as three fawns at a birth. This, however, is rare, and. 

 one or twins is the rule in by far the vast majority of 

 cases. 



At one time in the history of this country the elk or 

 wapiti (C. canadensis) had a range of habitat which ex- 

 tended from ocean to ocean across the continent, and 

 from the Canadas, where they were abundant, down into 

 old Mexico and southern California. It will be seen from 

 the "List" which was published in my Peccary paper, 

 that the U. S. National Museum still quotes "Virginia" 

 as its habitat. I am not familiar with the exact author- 

 ity for this report, and am unable to say in what part of 

 Virginia elk may yet be successfully hunted. They are 

 still quite abundant along the crest of the Rockies and 

 the outlying ranges, as well as in California. I have 

 seen them in the Laramie range of hills in Wyoming all 

 the way from a single old buck leisurely browsing along 

 through the pine forests of those mountains in August 

 to a herd composed of seven or eight hundred head spread 

 out on the freezing snow in a park in the same range. It 

 has been my fortune, too, to have killed a grand old buck 

 of this species and a doe which stood beside him at one 

 shot. Moreover, on another instance, when mounted on 

 rather a vicious Sioux pony, it was my fortune to become 

 "tangled up" in a herd of some one hundred and fifty 

 head, when I was obliged to kill seven of tnem with my 

 revolver and rifle before I could again successfully ex- 

 tricate myself and horse from such a forest of horns and 

 great crowding and plunging brutes. Never have I slain, 

 however, a single animal that was not afterward utilized, 

 and my disgust has known no bounds when I have 

 seen the bodies of these elegant creatures rotting in a 

 September sun on the mounlain sides of the Big Horns, 

 wantonly shot down by a party of "tourists." Our 

 wapiti are upon a rapid road that leads to complete ex- 

 tinction, and the sight of a big herd of these animals, 

 powerful in build, grand in proportions and carriage, 

 plowing through the snow over their range in their wilder- 

 ness home, is ere long to be a thing of the past. During 

 the rutting season the fearful whistle-like scream of an 

 old buck of this species may be plainly heard for ov er a 

 mile, and when sounded near to one, the roar of an 

 African lion could not be more appalling, especially if 

 either be uttered in the stillness of night as one hugs his 

 small camp-fire in the very heart of the wilderness. 

 There is but one scream that 1 know anything about that 

 can compare with it. I refer to the voices of a troop of 

 howling monkeys as I have heard them in the vast forests 

 of southern Mexico. 



Elk and then' habits are best studied when the animals 

 are kept confined in a state of semi-domestication in large 

 private parks, and in this respect no one in this country 

 has enjoyed the opportunities of Judge Caton, who has 

 owned as many as fifty and more of these animals at one 

 time. This author writes that "during the rutting season 

 the monarch of the herd drives off the other bucks and 

 gathers the does into a band, which he appropriates to 

 himself as much as possible. The other bucks hover 

 around in his vicinity, generally keeping together, and 

 annoying the chief by their unwelcome presence, and 

 occasionally stealing away a part of his harem, for the 

 does will slip away from his tyranical rule whenever 

 they get a chance. He is grossly ungallant in his selfish- 

 ness, driving a doe from any choice bit she may find, 

 with as little ceremony or aff ection as he would a buck- 

 He has evidently no idea of love or affection, and is only 

 pleased to act the tyrant and seek his own gratification, 

 perfectly regardless of the feelings of others. Still there 

 are degrees in this regard among different individuals." 

 Elk will subsist upon almost any kind of vegetation and 

 keep in good condition, and the does are seen to be very 

 fond of their fawns, vigorously defending them in times 

 of threatened danger. In this species only the males 

 grow antlers, which are of huge proportions; the lacry- 

 mal sinus is present and naked; there are no tarsal glands, 

 and the metatarsal ones are well up on the limbs, while 

 the interdigital glands seem to be absent in the feet. 



In common with our wapiti the moose (A. machlis) is 

 now rapidly becoming extinct, and not many generations 

 can go by before this species, the largest of all our Cer- 

 vidce, will be known as one of the huge, curious forms of 

 the past. From a wide range extending across the 



