152 Hunting Trips of a Ranchman 



the amount of reliance placed on each sense varies 

 greatly in different species. Those found out on the 

 plains pay very little attention to what they hear; 

 indeed, in the open they can hardly be approached 

 near enough to make of much account any ordinary 

 amount of noise caused by the stalker, especially as 

 the latter is walking over little but grass and soft 

 earth. The buffalo, whose shaggy frontlet of hair 

 falls over his eyes and prevents his seeing at any 

 great distance, depends mainly upon his exquisite 

 sense of smell. The antelope, on the other hand, 

 depends almost entirely on his great, bulging eyes, 

 and very little on his nose. His sight is many times 

 as good as that of deer, both species of which, as 

 well as elk, rely both upon sight and hearing, but 

 most of all upon their sense of smell, for their 

 safety. The big-horn has almost as keen eyesight 

 as an antelope, while his ears and nose are as sensi- 

 tive to sound and scent as are those of an elk. 



Black-tail, like other members of the deer family, 

 do not pay much attention to an object which is not 

 moving. A hunter who is standing motionless or 

 squatting down is not likely to receive attention, 

 while a big-horn or prong-horn would probably see 

 him and take the alarm at once ; and if the black-tail 

 is frightened and running he will run almost over a 

 man standing in plain sight, without paying any 

 heed to him, if the latter does not move. But the 

 very slightest movement at once attracts a deer's 

 attention, and deer are not subject to the panics that 

 at times overtake other kinds of game. The black- 



