The Whitetail Deer 97 



but on two occasions at least I was able thus to 

 creep up to the feeding deer, because before lift- 

 ing its head it invariably shook its tail, thereby 

 warning me to stay without moving until it had 

 lifted its head, scrutinized the landscape, and again 

 lowered its head to graze. The eyesight of the 

 whitetail, as compared with that of the prong- 

 horn antelope, is poor. It notes whatever is in 

 motion, but it seems unable to distinguish clearly 

 anything that is not in motion. On the occa- 

 sions in question no antelope that I have ever 

 seen would have failed to notice me at once and 

 to take alarm. But the whitetail, although it 

 scrutinized me narrowly, while I lay motionless 

 with my head toward it, seemed in each case to 

 think that I must be harmless, and after a while it 

 would go on feeding. In one instance the ani- 

 mal fed over a ridge and walked off before I 

 could get a shot ; in the other instance I killed it. 



