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178 MULE DEER

to the northern climate and are working their way con-
siderably beyond this limit now.

Formerly there were two species of mule deer recognized ;
in addition to the hemionus there was also the richardsonit.
The differences between them were supposed to lie in
their tails and horns. The richardsonii were supposed to
have tails almost similar to those of the columbianus or
coast deer, while their horns were said to be of smaller
size and more uniform in shape than those of the hemionus.
That these variations are persistent has been often asserted,
and that, too, by men who have been among these deer
a great deal and should know what they are talking about.
However, the richardsonii is no longer recognized in this
Province, and in my humble opinion it was right that it
should be dropped. Of all the thousands of mule deer
that have come under my observation the only ones that
would answer the requirements of the so-called richardsonit
were a few that I came across not far from the summit
of the Cascade Range. Various reports had reached me
that there were deer in that vicinity that were different
from any others; they were said to be neither of the
hemionus nor columbianus species. The most reliable
information given me came from a friend who had seen
some when hunting bear in the spring; he knew deer
well, and assured me that these were quite different from
any others he had ever seen. To satisfy my curiosity I
undertook two trips into that district to investigate, and
was successful in finding a number of the strange deer.
They certainly were peculiar. Of the fifteen or sixteen
specimens that I discovered there were marked variations
in colour of hair, both of their bodies and tails, as well
as in the size of their bodies. Some of them had unusually
long black tails, blacker even than those of the columbianus ;
most of them had bodies almost as big as the hemionus,
but their ears were too small for that species. There
was one that resembled a mule deer in almost every
respect except that the ears were somewhat small and
the tail was black for two thirds of the way up, instead of
just being black at the tip. Owing to both of my trips