478 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
are small, recurved, polished, and blackish. They range from 7 to 
10 inches in length. The hair is long, shaggy, and, when unstained, 
pure white. 
DEER. 
Although the greater part of Alaska is without small deer (t0do- 
coileus') the southeastern coast region or “ panhandle ” is greatly fa¬ 
vored in this respect. Only one A^ariety occurs, the so-called Sitka 
deer (Odccoileus columbianus sithensis ), but this one is exceedingly 
abundant, although the region inhabited by it lies well beyond the 
northern limits of any other American deer. It is a variety of the 
Columbia blacktail, from which it differs chiefly in smaller size, and 
in having the upper side of the tail more extensively brownish. Like 
the blacktail and mule deer, it is a “ bounding 11 deer and in flight 
pursues a zigzag course, alighting on all four feet at once after each 
leap. Unlike the whitetail, it does not raise its tail or “ flag ” when 
running. In size it is small, ordinary, bucks weighing less rather 
than more than 100 pounds. Its rather small antlers are similar in 
form to those of the mule deer and are perhaps the least impressh T e 
of those of North American deer. It inhabits practically all the Alex¬ 
ander Archipelago and the adjacent mainland from British Co¬ 
lumbia to the vicinity of Juneau. Throughout this region it ranges 
from seacoast to timber line in forests and undergroAvth almost un¬ 
equaled in density and luxuriance. Except for its great abun¬ 
dance this deer might be rarely seen, for its cunning is not less than 
that of others of its kind and its habitat affords unusual protection. 
But it occurs in such numbers throughout most of its range that in 
spite of the numbers killed in the past it still may be found with 
no great difficulty. Previous to the enactment of the Alaska game 
law deer were killed by hundreds and even thousands merely for 
their hides, which netted the hunter a few cents apiece. This ruth¬ 
less waste is iioav stopped, and since good local sentiment bids fair 
to prevail the deer Avill doubtless hold their own. (See fig. 49.) 
BEARS. 
Alaska is without a rival in respect to number and variety of bears. 
No fewer than 13 kinds, as recognized by recent mammalogists, live 
in the Territory. These, however, belong to only 4 general types and 
fall naturally into 4 groups, the brown bears, the grizzlies, the black 
bears, and the polar bears. 
The brown bears are the most numerous and most important. 
Zoologically their relationships are with the Old World broAvn bears 
rather than Avith any American species. They are of huge size, being 
much larger than the grizzlies and all other bears except the polar 
bear and their own relatives of Kamchatka. Therefore the state- 
