OF. A RANCHMAN 253 



and then a plainsman will speak of it by 

 this title. I kit all plainsmen know it gen- 



illy, and ninety-nine out of a hundred 

 know it only, as the Black-tail Deer; and 

 as this is the title by which it is known 

 among all who hunt it or live near it, it 



>uld certainly be called by the same name 

 in the books. 



But though so grand and striking an ob- 

 ject when startled, or whea excited, whether 

 by curiosity or fear, love or hate, a black-tail 

 is nevertheless often very hard to make out 

 \\hen standing motionless among the trees 

 and brushwood, or when lying down among 

 the boulders. A raw hand at hunting has 

 no idea how hard it is to see a deer when at 

 rest The color of the hair is gray, almost 

 the same tint as that of the leafless branches 

 and tree trunks ; for of course the hunting 

 season is at its height only when UK leaves 



e fallen. A deer standing motionless 

 looks black or gray, according as the sun- 

 light strikes it; but always looks exactly 

 the same color as the trees around it. It 



