WAPITI. 225 



of Honduras, celebrated for its fine mahogany trees; 

 they live in herds and appear to be the only grega- 

 rious animals that do not prefer the plain; the 

 second is found on the upland and more open 

 grounds ; the third dwells alone in the solitary 

 woods of Brazil. 



An American naturalist states that deer are far 

 more abundant than at the first settlement of the 

 country. They increase to a certain extent with 

 the population, and the reason may be readily 

 assigned; they find protection in the neighbour- 

 hood of man from the beasts of prey that assail 

 them in the wilderness, and from whose attacks 

 their young can with difficulty escape. "Wolves 

 are their greatest enemies; these creatures hunt 

 in packs, like hounds, and seldom give up the 

 chase until the prey be taken. " We have often 

 sat," said the naturalist, " on a moonlight summer 

 night, at the door of our log cabin, on the wide 

 expanse of the lone prairie, and heard the wolves 

 in full chase of a deer, which they pursued with 

 loud yells. Sometimes the cry sounded from afar, 

 over the wild plain, then it would die away, and 

 again be distinguished at a nearer point, and in 

 another direction; now the full cry would burst 

 upon us from a neighbouring thicket, and we fancied 

 that we could hear the panting of the exhausted 

 deer, and again it was borne away and lost in the 

 distance. We have spent whole nights in listening 

 to such sounds, and once we saw a deer dash 

 through the yard; he was followed by his audacious 

 pursuers, who scoured after him, and passed within 

 a few yards of the door at which we sat/' 



