3S6 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC, 
the horns long and much branched, the color a decided grey, 
often with a mixture of brown. 
Several other species of deer are found on the Grand and 
Sheetskadee rivers, and in various other parts of California. 
The Cervus macrotis, Black-tailed Deer, is a handsome ani¬ 
mal. Its size is about that of the common deer. The color 
is blueish grey on the back, and fawn color on the belly. The 
ears are curious, being as long as those of an ass, and the tail 
is short and black. Another very small and pretty species is 
the Cervus leucurus , Long-tailed or Jumping Deer, the chcvreuil 
of the hunters. This is grey on the back, and pure white on 
the belly, and is remarkable for having a tail from twelve to 
eighteen inches in length. 
Antilope furcifer , The Pronghorn Antelope, is a very 
pretty and delicate species. It is not generally abundant, 
though in some localities it may be found in considerable num¬ 
bers. Its extreme shyness renders its capture a matter of 
great difficulty. It presents a very graceful appearance when 
bounding up the sides of almost inaccessible rocks ; and the 
hungry traveller is often tantalized with beholding it standing 
in perfect safety on a far-off cliff, while his utmost endeavors 
to get it within range of his rifle are perfectly futile. 
Ovis montana , The Mountain Sheep, or Argali, is another 
peculiar animal. Its habitation is on the loftiest and coldest 
mountains, among the most tremendous and impassable pre¬ 
cipices. In general figure it much resembles a large sheep of 
the domestic kind, but its horns seem out of all proportion to 
its body. These are from two to nearly three feet in length; 
are deeply ribbed, and curve backwards. Their weight on 
the male is sometimes thirty pounds. The covering of the 
body can scarcely be called wool, being a kind of coarse, 
short hair, of a dingy brown color. It is called by the voya- 
geurs <£ Mouton gris,” and the flesh, though rather dry, is 
very good. The mountain sheep appears to have early 
attracted the attention of travellers, and is described by 
Padres Piccolo and Salvatierra under the Californian name of 
