380 SI'ORTINO ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



they do not wind him ; as they become accustomed to the 

 strangest objects which are stationary in a short time. 



The males keep by themselves from spring until the 

 running season commences in September, when they re- 

 join the females and the fawns. They may be found near 

 water in the evening, but during the day they frequent the 

 uplands, as they feel more secure there, owing to the ex- 

 tent of country they can survey at a glance. 



A wounded stag — unlike his Cervidean kindred, the 

 moose, wapiti, and mule deer — shows little combativeness ; 

 yet he will occasionally charge a hunter, and, if he can, use 

 both horns and legs upon him. lie will boldly face a wolf, 

 however, when brought to bay; but his opportunities for 

 such a display of courage are rather scarce, I fancy, as I 

 never saw his lupine foe able to overtake him in a straight 

 run, and a six mouths old fawn can get out of the way of 

 a pack of prairie wolves before they could ask where it was 

 gping. 



This interesting animal, like some others, is destined to 

 disappear in a short time from the list of the American 

 fauna; for it cannot live in a thickly inhabited country, 

 aud its favorite haunts are now being occupied so rapidly 

 by stock-raisers that their herds and flocks are pushing it 

 farther into wild and inhospitable regions, where it often 

 falls a victim to cold and hunger, or the attacks of stronger 

 foes. 



