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Show 928 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE CERVID/E. [NOV. 19, process for the support of the antlers carried back into the parietals, this region of the skull being much restricted. No rhinarium. Ears and tail short, neck maned, stature large. Young unspotted. Distribution. Northern Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. RANGIFER TARANDUS. 1766. Cervus tarandus, L. Syst. Nat. (ed. 12) p. 93. 1829. Cervus tarandus et var. artica et sylvestris, Rich. Faun. Bor.-Am. pp. 238-251 (1829). 1857. Bangifer caribou et B. grcenlandicus, Baird, N.-Amer. M a m m . pp. 633, 634 ; American Reindeer, Hardy, 'Forest Life in Acadie,' pp. 120-163. Bange. Norway, Lapland, Spitzbergen, Nova Zembla, Western Siberia from the Arctic Sea, about as far south as lat. 60° in Eastern Siberia, to lat. 55° in the Yablonoi Mountains, to lat. 49° on the Japanese sea-coast, and to lat. 46° on the island of Saghalien; Russian America from the Arctic Sea, somewhat further south than the Arctic circle ? British America from Melville Island to Great Slave Lake in the west, and in the east from Labrador to Nova Scotia, Greenland, Newfoundland. There are many well-marked varieties of Reindeer in this wide and varied range; but the study of a considerable series has only shown me the difficulty, if not impossibility, of defining them ; and consequently I have been constrained to include all under one title in this synopsis, although I think the differentiation of the form according to latitude and locality merits further attention. EXPLANATION OF PLATE LV. Fig. i. Left fore limb of Capreolus ca.pr&a, selected as an example of the TELEMETACARPI. 3. Metacarpal cannon, seen from tbe inside. 4. Ditto, seen from the outside. 3', 4'. Phalanges of the 3rd and 4th metacarpals, which coalesce to form the metacarpal cannon. 2-5. Distal extremities of the 2nd and 5th metacarpals. 2'-5'. Their respective phalanges, r-r'. Place of origin and insertion of the round ligament which prevents the upward displacement of the 2nd and 5th metacarpals, t. Trapezium, tr and o. Confluent trapezoid and os magnum, u. Unciform. ii. Left fore limb of Cervus elaphus, selected as au example of the PLESIOMETACARPI. 2, 5. Proximal extremities of the 2nd and 5th metacarpals, s. Metacarpophalangeal sesamoids, p. Proximal phalanges of 2nd and 5th digits. (The remainder of the lettering as in fig. i.) iii. Antler of the present Castle-Caldwell Fallow Deer, showing the excessive development of the tine, cl, and consequent contraction of the palm, c. iv. Antler of one of the males from which the Castle-Caldwell herd of Fallow Deer are descended. |
