The Whitetail Deer 73 



the fawns are born they come down to the water's 

 edge, preferring the neighborhood of the lakes, 

 but also haunting the stream banks. The next 

 three months, during the hot weather, they keep 

 very close to the water, and get a large proportion 

 of their food by wading in after the lilies and other 

 aquatic plants. Where they are much hunted, they 

 only come to the water's edge after dark, but in re- 

 gions where they are little disturbed they are quite 

 as often diurnal in their habits. I have seen dozens 

 feeding in the neighborhood of a lake, some of them 

 two or three hundred yards out in shallow places, 

 up to their bellies ; and this after sunrise, or two or 

 three hours before sunset. Before September the 

 deer cease coming to the water, and go back among 

 the dense forests and on the mountains. There 

 is no genuine migration, as in the case of the mule- 

 cfeer, from one big tract to another, and no entire 

 desertion of any locality. But the food supply 

 which drew the animals to the water's edge during 

 the summer months shows signs of exhaustion 

 toward fall ; the delicate water-plants have van- 

 ished, the marsh-grass is dying, and the lilies are 

 less succulent. An occasional deer still wanders 

 along the shores or out into the lake, but most of 

 them begin to roam the woods, eating the berries 

 and the leaves and twig ends of the deciduous 

 trees, and even of some of the conifers, although a 

 whitetail is fond of grazing, especially upon the 



