292 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



and are shunned scarcely more, by either old or young, than they 

 would be by our common cattle, that have no more constant as- 

 sociation with man than they have. They will not submit to be 

 driven from one park to another through the gate, for instance, 

 or into a j^ard, but so soon as they perceive the object, their sus- 

 picions seem to be aroused and they will break back and retreat 

 to a distant part of the park. This no doubt results from want 

 of breaking. Had we practiced driving and herding them from 

 the beginning, I have no doubt they could have been as readily 

 handled as our sheep or cattle. They are very easily broken, 

 wlien they quietly submit. A young Elk may be caught up and 

 put in the stable, and so soon as he appreciates that he cannot 

 get away, that his efforts to escape avail him nothing, and that 

 he is kindly treated and has nothing to fear, he submits to be 

 handled and harnessed like a colt, though in this experiment I 

 have found individuals to differ much in disposition. I have 

 found no difficulty in completely subduing the fully adult Elk, 

 and this must be done before it is safe to put him in a cage to 

 send away. I once had to ship a pair to friends in California, and 

 got a number in the yard and captured and caged the buck (he 

 was a fine specimen, weighing eleven hundred and fifty pounds 

 with the cage, which may have weighed three hundred jDounds). 

 We concluded, as it was getting late, to catch the doe in an easier 

 and quicker way : so we removed a board from the side of the yard 

 and placed the cage in front of it ; she saw the opening and dashed 

 in and was secured, in a moment. I saw she made a good deal of 

 fuss about it, but thought she would be quiet by morning, and so 

 she was, for I found she had broken her neck during tlie night, 

 when we had to catch and subdue another, and had no further 

 difficulty. A short explanation of how this is done, taking a 

 large buck, for example, may be interesting. For the purpose I 

 have a Spanish lasso, the noose of which is spread upon the 

 ground in the yard or on the feeding grounds, when we manage 

 to get him to step into it with a hind foot ; then three stout men 

 on the outside spring it and draw him towards the fence, being 

 sure at all times to keep the leg drawn out. That is all they are 

 to do without drawing him home too fast. His efforts to escape 

 are at first almost appalling. Directly he throws himself and 

 perhaps will roll quite over and endeavor to spring up, and if too 

 near the fence he must be allowed to do this, at least so far as to 

 get further away, when another strong pull will bring liim down, 

 and then when he goes to rise again a good pull will prevent 



