. Birds and nature . nd stagare much alike, though those of theformer are longer and heavier, corre-sponding to its larger size. The fullgrowth of the horns is attained about theseventh year. The perfect horns areslightly oval in transverse section andthickly covered with warts or slight ele-vations, which are arranged in longitudi-nal lines. All the branches or prongsare situated on the front side of the maintrunk. The general color is a lightchestnut red, which deepens into abrownish hue on the neck and legs andalmost into a black on the throat andalong the median line of the under sur-face
. Birds and nature . nd stagare much alike, though those of theformer are longer and heavier, corre-sponding to its larger size. The fullgrowth of the horns is attained about theseventh year. The perfect horns areslightly oval in transverse section andthickly covered with warts or slight ele-vations, which are arranged in longitudi-nal lines. All the branches or prongsare situated on the front side of the maintrunk. The general color is a lightchestnut red, which deepens into abrownish hue on the neck and legs andalmost into a black on the throat andalong the median line of the under sur-face of the body. The buttocks are yel-lowish white, bordered by a dusky bandwhich extends down the posterior surfaceof the hind legs. In winter the fur ismuch thicker and finer and the generalcolor is more gray than in the mating season the maleshave fierce combats, and at this time themale Wapiti emits a peculiar noise, re-sembling the braying of an ass, beginningwith a loud shrill tone and ending in a 216. LIBRAE deep guttural note. At this time, evenwhen kept in confinement, the male iseasily irritated and may attack males will frequently wage persistentand long battles^for supremacy. Theantlers are used as the weapons in theseduels, and cases have been recordedwhere these have become so firmly inter-locked that they could not be separated,resulting in the death of both individuals. When food is plentiful and the Wapitiis not constantly disturbed, it will re-main in the same region, only strayingaway during the mating season. Theyassemble in herds of a greater or lessnumber of individuals. The femalesand fawns usually remain together; the older females without fawns form anotherherd and the old males, as a rule, leada more or less solitary life, except duringthe mating season. The Wapiti is more common in lowgrounds in the vicinity of marshes andwell wooded tracts, where it feeds ongrasses and the young branches andleaves of the willows and allied trees.
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