86 
ELK. 
In the younger males the head, hrce and back of the neck arc not near- 
ly as dark as in specimens of old animals ; the under jaw and throat how- 
ever as well as a space above the nostrils are black as in the latter. The 
upper and under surfaces of body and legs are light brownish gray, the 
legs being rather darker than the body. 
On the rump there is a broad patcli of light grayish white commencing 
nine inches above the root of the tail, spreading downward on each side 
to a point in the ham, ten inches below the tail. It is fourteen inches 
across opposite the root of the tail, (from one ham to the other,) and 
twenty-two inches in length from the back to the termination on the thigh 
or ham below the tail. This grayish white patch is bordered on the thighs 
by a strongly marked black space which also separates it all around, al- 
though less conspicuously from the general colour of the body. We 
have observed that in young specimens this pale mark on the rump is less 
conspicuous, and in one specimen is not even perceptible, and this peculi- 
arity has most probably misled some of our authors in regard to the spe- 
cies. 
In specimens of about two years old the light but scarcely perceptible 
markings on the rump gradually change to grayish brown between the hind 
legs. In a still younger specimen of a male about eighteen months old 
which has the horns thi-ee inches in height, (which are completely clothed 
with soft brownish hairs to their summits,) there is scarcely any black on 
the neck, and the white on the rump is not visible. 
Female in summer colour. 
We possess this animal in a state of confinement : she has like all the 
females of this species no horns. She bears a strong resemblance in form 
and colour to the male. Her neck is rather thinner and longer, and her 
legs and body more slender. Her eyes are mild, and she is in her dispo- 
sition very gentle and docile. The hair in summer is like that of the 
male, uniform in colour from the roots to the surface. 
Winter colour. 
Both males and females in winter assume a very heavy coat of dark 
gray hair all over the body. These hairs are about two and a half inches 
to three long and are moderately coarse and strong. 
When examined separately they have a wavj^ or crimped appearance. 
The white patch on the rump is strongly developed in contrast with 
the dark iron-gray colour of the winter coat. At this season the male 
has a remarkable growth of hairs on the throat as well as on the back 
of the nock, which increase considerably in length, so that the latter 
might easily be mistaken for the rudiment of a mane. 
