The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-06-18
THE VIRGINIA DEER.

publish below brief sketch OF the
Virginia deer, such as were put out
by the Commission, taken from Ly-
dekker's New Natural History:
The last main group of the Ameri-
can deer is typically represented by
the we'll known Virginia deer with
its numerous varieties and includes
the largest representatives of the
genus, as we'll as the whole or those
found in the northern half of the con-
tinent. The group is distinguished
by the large size and complexity of
the antlers which differ from those
of the other groups by the presence
of larger or smaller subbasal snag
and likewise by the absence of tusks
in the upper jaw and. the spotted coat
of the fawns.
The Virginia deer occurs typically
in Eastern North America, but the
so-called white tailed deer of the
western side of the continent can
scarcely be regarded as anything
more than variety, while it is
doubtful if the more southern form
known as the Mexican deer is really
entitled to specific distinction. Con-
sidering all these forms as referable
to single species, the Virginian deer
will have range extending right
across the American continent from
east to west and from south to north
from Canada to Mexico. The main
distinctive characteristic of this
species is to be found in the antlers
in which the anterior prong of the
main fork shows a great develop
ment at the expense of the hinder
one. This abortion of the hinder
prong is, however, compensated by
a corresponding growth of the sub
basal snag. These snags, like the
main prongs of the antler, are sub
| iect to extraordinary abnormal de-
which occur in the antlers of the
Virginian deer are only paralleled.by
those found in the reindeer. The
tail is long. The summer peIage of
the Virginian deer is bright bay,
from which it derives its common
title of red deer, but in winter the
coat becomes of grayer tinge. At
all seasons of the year the throat,
ring above the muzzel a spot
above and below the eye, portions
of the inside of the ear, the inner
surfaces of the limbs and the under
parts are, however, white. The up
per surface of the tail is dark brown,
and even in winter there is a more
or less reddish tinge throughout the
pelage. In build this deer is the
most elegant and graceful of all its
cbmpatriOts. It's variation in size
is SO great that it would be useless
to give any measurements, although
| it may be mentioned that usually
fine bucks are said to weigh as much
as two hundred pounds and occas-
ionally more.
With regard to the variation in
| size and coler in this, the common
est North American species, Mr.. Ca
ton writes that although there is a
great difference in the size of indi-
viduals, in widely different locali-
ties, there is a permanent and con-
slant difference in size. Thus
whereas in the north all the deer are
large, as we proceed south there is q
progressive dimunition, till in North
ern Mexico and the neighborhood oi
the Gulf of Mexico the deer have SC
diminished that it is at first difficult
to believe that they are specifically
identical with their northern repre-.
sentatives. Similarly we find in the
mountainous regions of the west ar
increase of the amount of white OF
the tail and body, which has giver
rise to the notion that the so-callec
white-tailed deer is a distinct spe
cies; but Mr.. Cation states tina
this difference is not constant ever
among the deer of the West where
many specimens cannot be distin
guished from those found in Illinoi
and Wisconsin.
| DR.. Hart Merriam states that tn
Virginia deer frequents alike tn
densest and most impenetrabl
thickets and the open beaver mead
ows and frontier clearings. From
the first of May to the first of No
vember its foods consist of grea
variety of herbs, grasses, marsh ant
aquatic plants, the leaves of man,
deciduous trees and Shrubs, blue
berries, blackberries, other fruit
that grow within reach, and the nu
tritious beechnut. While snov
covers the ground-which it com
monty does about half the year-th
fare is necessarily restricted and it
forced to subsist chiefly upon tn
twigs and buds of low deciduou
trees and shrubs, the twigs and fc
liage of the arbor vitse, hemlock an
balsam, and a few MOSES and lich
ems. In winters succeeding goo
weld of nuts, the mast constitute
, its staple article of diet, and is OF
tanned by following the beech ridge
! the trees.
Although shy and timid in tn
extreme, and at first retreating raj
idly before the advance of civilizs
: ton, these deer soon regain conf
{ dence and come back to their ar
! cient haunts. Their speed is grea
and they are excellent and rapi