uthern California. It is now exterminated except
in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta; Vancouver Island, Washington,
Wyoming and a few localities in the mountain states and in parks where
it has been reintroduced.

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The elk of Washington is very dark in color; that of the
Southwest is very pale and small.

White-tailed Deer (_Odocoileus virginianus_)

This is the best known of the common deer of America. It is
distinguished by the forward bend of the horns, with the snags
pointing backward, and by its long tail which is brown or blackish
above and pure white below. Its face is gray, its throat white. A fair
sized buck weighs two hundred pounds, live weight. A few have been
taken of over three hundred and fifty pounds weight. In the Southern
states they run much smaller. Several varieties have been described.
It was found formerly in all of the timber states east of the Rockies;
also in Ontario south of Lake Nipissing, in south Quebec and south New
Brunswick. At present it is exterminated in the highly cultivated
states of the Middle West, but has spread into northern Ontario, New
Brunswick, and Manitoba.

[Illustration: White-tailed deer]

[Illustration: Mule deer]

[Illustration: Moose]

Mule Deer (_Odocoileus hemionus_)

This is the commonest deer of the hill country in the centre of the
continent. It is found in the mountains from Mexico to British
Columbia and northeasterly Saskatchewan and the Lake of the Woods. It
is known by its {135} double-forked horns, its large ears, the dark
patch on the forehead, the rest of the face being whitish. Also by its
tail which is white with a black bunch on the end. This is a larger
deer than the White-tail. There are several varieties of it in the
South and West.

Moose (_Alces americanus_)

This is the largest of the deer tribe. It stands five and a half to
six and a half feet at the withers and weighs eight hundred to one
thousand pounds. It is readily distinguished by its flat horns and
pendulous, hairy muzzle. It is found in all the heavily timbered
regions of Canada and Alaska and enters the United States in Maine,
Adirondacks, Minnesota, Montana, Idaho, and northwestern Wyoming.
Those from Alaska are of gigantic stature.

In all our deer the antlers are grown and shed each year, reaching
perfection in autumn for the mating season. They are found in the
males only, except in the caribou, in which species the females also
have small horn