James's Account of S. H. Long's Expedition, 1819-1820, part 3James, Edwin
History
James's Account of S. H. Long's Expedition, 1819-1820, part 3
James, Edwin
Indians of North America; Rocky Mountains; United States -- Discovery and exploration; West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
[53] Since our return to Philadelphia, the following description of
the animal has been drawn out from the dried skin, which, however, is
so much injured by depredating insects, that it has not been judged
proper to mount it entire. The head has therefore been separated from
the remaining portion of the skin, and may be seen in the Philadelphia
Museum, placed under the foot of a prairie wolf (canis latrans, SAY),
which has been well prepared by Mr. T. Peale.
_Cervus Macrotis_, SAY.--Antlers slightly grooved, tuberculated at
base; a small branch near the base, corresponding to the situation and
direction of that of C. _Virginianus_; the curvature of the anterior
line of the antlers is similar in direction, but less in degree, to
that of the same deer; near the middle of the entire length of the
antlers, they bifurcate equally, and each of these processes again
divides near the extremity, the anterior of these smaller processes
being somewhat longer than the posterior one; the ears are very long,
extending to the principal bifurcation, about half the length of
the whole antler; the lateral teeth are larger in proportion to the
intermediate teeth than those of the C. _Virginianus_ are; eye-lashes
black; the aperture beneath the eye is larger than that of the species
just mentioned, and pervious; the hair also is coarser, and is
undulated and compressed like that of the elk (C. _major_); the colour
is light reddish-brown above; sides of the head, and hair on the fore
portion of the nose above, dull cinereous; the back is intermixed with
blackish tipped hairs, which form a distinct line on the neck, near
the head; the tail is of a pale reddish cinereous colour, and the hair
of the tip of the tail is black; the tip of the trunk of the tail is
somewhat compressed, and is beneath almost destitute of hair; the hoofs
are shorter and wider than those of the _Virginianus_, and more like
those of the elk.
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