638 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS-ZOOLOGY-GENERAL REPORT. 
CERVUS CANADENSIS, Erxleben. 
American Elk. 
Cervus daphus canadensis, Erxleben, Syst. An. 1777, 305. 
Boddaert, Elenchus Anim. 1784, 135. 
Cervus canadensis, Schreber, Saugt. V, 1835 (!), 990 ; pi. ccxlvi, (A). 
Desmarest, Mamm. II, 1822, 433. 
Harlan, F. Amer. 1825, 236. 
Max. von Wied, Reise, II, 1839, 24, 84. 
Gray, Pr. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1850, XVIII, 1850, 226. 
Pucheran, Archiv du Mus. VI, 1852, 386. 
Geebel, Saugt. 1855, 348. 
Cervus (Elaphus ) canadensis, Smith, Griff. Cuv. IV, 1827, 96 ; plate.—I b. V. 1827, 308. 
Elaphus canadensis, Dekay, N. Y. Zool. I, 1842, 118 ; pi. xxviii, fig. 2. 
Add. & Bach. N. Am. Quad. II, 1851, 84; pi. Ixii. 
Baird, Rep. U. S. Pat. Off. Agricultural for 1851, (1852,) 116. 
Cervus strongyloceros, Schreber, S'augethiere, V, 1836 (!); pi. ccxlvii. F. G. 1 
Rich. F. B. Am. I, 1829, 251 .—Ib. Zool. Beecliey’s Voyage, 1839, 10. 
Scndevall, K. Vetenskaps Akad. Handlingar, for 1844 .-—Ib. Arch. Skand. Beit. II, 1850,131. 
Cervus ( Elaphus ) strongyloceros, Wagner, Suppl. Schreb. IV, 1844, 348. 
Cervus wapiti, Barton, Am. Phil. Trans. VI. 1809, 70. 
Leach, in Journal de Physique, LXXXV, July 1817, 67. 
Cervus major, Ord, Guthrie’s Geog. (2d Am. ed.) II, 1815, 292, 306.—IB. Journal de Physique, LXXXVI1, 1818, 
150. 
Desmarest, Mamm. II, 1822, 432. 
? Cervus occidenialis, Ham. Smith, Griffith’s Cuv. IV, 1827, 101, (fig. of horns in Brit. Mus. supposed to be from 
N. W. coast Am.)—I b. V, 1827, 303. 
Stag, Pennant, Hist. Quad. 1781, No. 45 .—Ib. Arctic Zool. I, 1784, 28. (Sp. in Leverian Mus.) 
Elk, E. H. Smith, Medical Repository, H, 1805, 157 ; plate. (Notice of habits, &c.) 
Le Wapiti, St. Hil. & Cuv. Hist. Mammif. IV, 1819 ; plate. 
Sp. Ch.—H oofs short, broad, and rounded. Tail very short and depressed. Larmiers nearly as long as the eye ; naked 
portion of the muzzle inferiorly only half as wide as the septum of the nostrils. No naked glandular space on the outer 
edge of the hind legs, but a short whitish patch of hairs near the upper part of the metatarsus. 
In summer, general color light chestnut red ; darkest on the neck and legs ; throat and median ventral line dusky, almost 
black. Chin dusky, with a narrow patch of light yellowish on either side ; a broad median yellowish patch under the head. 
Rump yellowish white, bordered by a dusky band which extends down the posterior face of the hind legs. 
Winter colors more gray. 
With nothing hut skins before me, I find it impossible to present any very definite idea of the 
form and proportions of the American elk. In general shape there is not a great dissimilarity 
to the horse, the stature of which is fully equalled by some individuals. 
The ears are rather short in proportion to the size of the animal; considerably less than in 
the Virginia deer. They are narrow and acuminately pointed; the anterior edge nearly 
straight; the posterior convex ; both surfaces covered with rather long hairs ; thinnest on the 
concavity. 
1 The article in the text, page 1074, refers to <7. virginianus, mixed a little with C. canadensis. The horns described are 
unmistakably those of C. virginianus; those figures are C. canadensis. The date of 1836 is that on the title page of the copy 
consulted, (in Phil. Academy,) although the first portion of the volume was published from 1792 to 1800. 
