deer (der)

sing. and pl. [Early mod. E. also deere, and often dear, deare; But mice, and rats, and such small deer , Have been Tom's food for seven long year. Shak., Lear, iii. 4. 2. The general name of the solid-horned ruminants of the family Cervidæ, and especially of the genus Cervus. See these words. Most of the deer have solid deciduous horns, of the kind called antlers, in the male only; but in the reindeer they are present in both sexes; in the musk-deer ( Moschina ) they are want ing. The largest living deer are the elk of Europe and the moose of America; the smallest are the muntjacs and musk-deer, which are further distinguished by the large tusk-like canine teeth of the males. The tern deer being so comprehensive, and the animals being so conspicuous, the leading kinds have mostly received distinctive names, as the reindeer, roe-deer, musk-deer, etc. (See these words, and also brocket, elk, moose, roe, stag, wapiti, caribou, black tail.) Deer are found fo il as far back as the Pliocene period. The best-known extinct species is the Irish elk, Cer vus mega ceros. The leading genera of living deer are Alces, Rangifer, Dama, Cervus (with many subgenera), Capreo lus, Cervulus, Moschus, and Hydro potes. The species are numerous, and are found in most continental parts of the world, excepting southern Africa and Australia. The common deer of the United States is Cariacus virginia nus. See Cariacus. 3. A term loosely applied to the chevrotains, of the family Tragulidæ (which see), from their resemblance to musk-deer. - Axis-deer, Cervus axis. Barasingha deer, Cervus duvaucelli, of the Him a lay as. -Barbary deer, Cervus barbarus, the only true deer of Africa, found along the Mediterranean coast, from Tunis to the slopes of the Atlas range. - Cashmere deer, Cervus cash miri an us. - Fallow-deer. See Dama. The Me so pot am i an fallow-deer is Dama me so potamic a. - For mos an Cervus taëvan us. - Gemul deer, chilen is Japanese deer, Cervus sika. Man chur i an deer, Cervus manchuricus. - Molucca deer, Cervus moluccen sis. - Pampas deer, Cariacus campestris, of South America. Panolia deer, Cervus eld i. - Persian deer, Cervus maral.- Philippine deer, Cervus philip pin us.- Pudu deer, Pudua humilis, of South America. - Red deer, the common stag, Cervus elaphus, a native of the forests of Europe and Asia where the climate is temperate. Red deer were in former times very abundant in the forests of England, and were special objects of the chase. They are still plentiful in the Highlands of Scotland, and care is taken in rearing them in the deer-parks throughout England. See stag. - Rusa deer, Cervus hippelaphus. See Rusa. Sambur deer, Cervus aristo tel is. - Spotted deer. Same as axis2, 1. - Timor deer, Cervus tim or i ens is. (See also hog - deer, mule - deer, water - deer.) deerberry (dēr'ber"i), n.; pl. deerberries (-iz). 1. The aromatic wintergreen of America, Gaul theria procumbens.-2. The squaw-huckleberry, Vaccinium stamineum.-3. The partridge-berry, Mitchell a repens.