136 Deer and Antelope of North America 



less, the individuals walking undecidedly to and 

 fro, and neither flinching nor giving any other 

 sign even when hit with a bullet. In the old 

 days it was not uncommon for a professional 

 hunter to destroy an entire herd of wapiti when 

 one of these fits of confusion was on them. Even 

 nowadays they sometimes behave in this way. 

 In 1897, Mr. Ansley Wilcox, of Buffalo, was 

 hunting in the Teton basin. He came across a 

 small herd of wapiti, the first he had ever seen, 

 and opened fire when a hundred and fifty yards 

 distant. They paid no heed to the shots, and 

 after taking three or four at one bull, with seem- 

 ingly no effect, he ran in closer and emptied his 

 magazine at another, also seemingly without 

 effect, before the herd slowly disappeared. After 

 a few rods, both bulls fell ; and on examination 

 it was found that all nine bullets had hit them. 



To my mind, the venison of the wapiti is, on 

 the whole, better than that of any other wild 

 game, though its fat when cooled at once hardens, 

 like mutton tallow. 



In its life habits the wapiti differs somewhat 

 from its smaller relatives. It is far more gre- 

 garious, and is highly polygamous. During the 

 spring, while the bulls are growing their great 

 antlers, and while the cows have very young 

 calves, both bulls and cows live alone, each indi- 

 vidual for itself. At such time each seeks the 



