28 
COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER. 
sharp, and longer and more pointed than those of the Mule Deer (C. 
Macrotis), "which are round and flattened. 
The lachrymal openings are large, and situated close beneath the eye ; 
tail, rather short, stouter and more bushy than that of C. Macrotis. 
COLOUR. 
A brown mark originating between the nostrils is continued behind 
their naked margins, downwards, towards the lower jaw, uniting with a 
dark patch situated behind the chin ; chin and throat, white ; forehead, 
dark-brown ; neck, back, sides, and hips, brownish-gray ; hairs clothing 
those parts, brown from their roots to near their tips, where they exhibit a 
pale yellowish-brown ring surmounted by a black tip ; on the back part of 
the neck there is a dark line down the middle of the back, becoming lighter 
as it recedes from the neck. 
The chest is blackish-brown, running around the shoulder somewhat like 
the mark of a collar ; a dark line extends from under the chest to the 
centre of the belly ; the anterior of the belly is fawn-coloured, the 
posterior part white, as are likewise the insides of the thighs ; the tail, at 
its junction with the back, is dark brown, and this colour increases in 
depth to the tip, which is black ; the under side of the tail is clothed with 
long white hairs ; the legs are mixed yellowish-brown and black anteriorly, 
and pale brownish-white posteriorly. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Length from tip of nose to brow (between the horns), 
“ “ “ to root of tail, 
“ of tail (vertebrae), 
“ “ (to end of hair), - - - - 
Height at shoulder, 
Width of horns between superior prongs, - 
“ “ “ posterior pair of points, 
Feet. 
1 
5 
2 
1 
1 
Inches 
4 
6 
9 
6 
8 
3 
HABITS. 
This beautiful Deer is found variously dispersed over the western 
portions of the North American continent, where it was first noticed by 
Lewis and Clark, near the mouth of the Columbia River ; but not until 
the discovery of the golden treasures of California did it become generally 
known to white men. In that country, along the hill sides and in the 
