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The Virginia Deer (. Mazama virginiana ) is the common 
deer of the United States, and is found throughout North 
America; the so-called “white-tailed” deer of the west 
being indistinguishable from eastern specimens. They are 
easily tamed, and breed with tolerable readiness. 
In Mexico they become much smaller, in accordance with 
a law general among North American herbivora, that the av¬ 
erage size of a species becomes lessened towards the south. 
Several specimens of these small deer have been in the col¬ 
lection, and have bred freely with those from the east. A 
beautiful example of these is Mearns’ Deer ( Mazama texana ), 
which ranges from southern Texas as far as Vera Cruz. 
The Mule Deer (J/. macrotis ) is found west of the Mis¬ 
souri river, where it is almost universally known as the 
“black tail,” though wrongly so, as the true Black-tailed 
Deer (M. columbianus) is known only through a limited 
region to the north-west of the main mountain ranges. The 
former, intermediate in size between the common deer and 
the elk, but differing from both in form of antlers, is com¬ 
monly found at present high up in the mountains, while the 
common species seem rather to affect lower pastures and 
heavily-timbered river bottoms. The range of either, however, 
depends much upon the available food supply and the season 
of the year. 
The mule deer, like most herbivora from the far west, does 
not thrive when brought to this region, and much care is re¬ 
quired to successfully raise the young. 
The Hog Deer ( Cervus porcinus ) of India, derives its 
name from a somewhat porcine expression of countenance 
which is at once recognized. Close by, in an adjoining en¬ 
closure, is the Japanese Deer (C. sika), a small and hardy 
species, which has but recently been introduced into the 
Garden. 
The Fallow Deer (C. dama) is the common deer of 
Europe. Its color is usually reddish-brown, spotted, like the 
axis, with white. It is liable to variation, however, some of 
those in the Garden being pure white. 
The Roe (C. capreolus) is also found throughout Europe 
and in Asia, and though of small size, is one of the most 
graceful and beautiful of its kind. This little deer does not 
