The
grand distinction between this deer, and any other species that I
have ever met with, consisted in the strange length of its legs; on
which it was tilted up much in the manner of birds of the grallae
order. I measured it, as they do an horse, and found that, from the
ground to the wither, it was just five feet four inches; which height
answers exactly to sixteen hands, a growth that few horses arrive
at: but then, with this length of legs, its neck was remarkably short,
no more than twelve inches; so that, by straddling with one foot
forward and the other backward, it grazed on the plain ground,
with the greatest difficulty, between its legs: the ears were vast and
lopping, and as long as the neck; the head was about twenty inches
long, and ass-like; and had such a redundancy of upper lip as I
never saw before, with huge nostrils. This lip, travellers say, is
esteemed a dainty dish in North America. It is very reasonable to
suppose that this creature supports itself chiefly by browsing of
trees, and by wading after water-plants; towards which way of
livelihood the length of leg and great lip must contribute much.
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