A preliminary study of the protein metabolism of the coast deer of British Columbia, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus (Richardson).

A nitrogen balance experiment has been carried out using two deer of the species Odocoileus hemionus columbianus. One was a six month old fawn and the other a two year old pregnant doe. The necessary intake of grass nitrogen for the maintenance of nitrogen balance was found to be nine grams in the first case and fifteen grams in the second. An evaluation of the dietary intake necessary in winter and summer for the fawn and in April for the pregnant doe was made using the present finding in conjunction with those reported earlier for two areas in Oregon, U.S.A., by Einarsen (1946). It was found that the poorest area would be critical for growth of the fawn in winter while the best area would offer good chances of survival. The amount of browse that the pregnant female would have to handle in April, in the best area are within the limits of her capacity. In the course of the nitrogen balance studies certain values were accumulated on the digestibility of the diets used. These results have been compared with those anticipated by calculation following Lancaster's (1949) method. Reasonable agreement was obtained between the experimental values and those obtained by calculation. The distribution of the urinary nitrogen in this species has been determined. Values for ammonia, creatinine, creatine and urea nitrogen have been recorded which are in close agreement with those reported for other ruminant species by other workers.Science, Faculty ofZoology, Department ofGraduat