ANTELOPES. 227 



advance towards the licks, and, if undisturbed, con- 

 tinue for some hours, licking at intervals the earth, 

 or lapping the salt water as it oozes from the soil. 

 But the deer is a prudent animal, and often stops, 

 looking cautiously around, and snuffing the air; he 

 then advances a few steps, and stops again, smells 

 the ground, or raises his expanded nostrils, as if he 

 scented the approach of danger in every breeze. 

 Meanwhile, the hunter sits motionless, and almost 

 breathless, waiting till one of the fine animals gets 

 within rifle-shot, and until its position in relation 

 to the hunter and the light shall be favourable, 

 when he fires with an unerring aim. A moment, 

 and on that one bright spot, covered with noble crea- 

 tures, not an animal remains. They rush headlong 

 into the dark forest, crushing the canes and under- 

 wood in their rapid flight, and the clear cold moon 

 shines only on the hunter and the fallen deer. 



The Dicranocerine Race of deer are exclusively 

 American, and are confined to the northern latitudes. 

 They are a swift and fearless race, forming small 

 communities upon the hills that sweep around the 

 base of the higher mountains, and above the low- 

 lands on the banks of the Upper Missouri, and 

 around Hudson's Bay; probably also to the extreme 

 verge of the north-western coast of Nootka Sound, 

 and Behring's Straits. They who traverse these 

 regions often fall in with parties of Indians en- 

 gaged in their pursuit. On one occasion, the 

 hunters selected a wild hill as the scene of their 

 sport, which ascended gradually before them from 

 the plain, though extremely precipitous on the near 



Q2 



