HORNS, PRONGS, AND ANTLERS 307 



water in warm weather, and the Moose and American 

 Deer revel in it, taking to bathing and swimming like 

 small boys. 



'' This little Deer has slim legs, a slender body, and a 

 wedge-shaped, white-lined tail for its danger signal. 

 Its summer coat is rich and varies from rust color to 

 buff, Avhile with its winter coat its ruddy beauty 

 changes to sombre grays and browns, like the moult- 

 ing of its meadow mate, the Bobolink. 



" The does, who wear no antlers, are devoted to their 

 young, and if you ever see one of the soft-eyed mothers 

 tending one or two tiny spotted fawns, either in the 

 wild country, or in a Deer park, I'm sure, boys, that you 

 would never wish to point your gun at them. You 

 think a calf or a colt, a puppy or a kitten amusing in 

 its gambols, but for pretty ways no animals are so 

 attractive as these spotted fawns." 



" Do Deer sleep the winter sleep ? " asked Dodo, who 

 was growing tired of what she called "plain facts," and 

 wished the story part to come ; " and do these pretty 

 Deer fight for their mates like the others ? " 



"They do not sleep, neither do any of the family; 

 but I must confess that they fight, and sometimes 

 fiercely to the death. Several times their skeletons 

 have been found with antlers locked so tightly that 

 the Deer could not part or feed, and must have died 

 of hunger, and I have read of three heads being found 

 locked thus together. Now that you have had your 

 facts, we will beg Nez for his story." 



" Only one more question please. Doctor," said Rap. 

 " Will Deer ever chase House People or toss them on 

 their antlers?" 



