126 DEER AND MOTIONLESS OBJECTS. 



habitants of the woods, though in some respects 

 exceedingly keen-sighted, and able instantly to detect 

 any object in motion, are often singularly stupid in 

 making out an enemy (such as the human hunter) 

 when they are on the move and coming up towards 

 him. On these occasions, provided the hunter is 

 stationed to leeward and that there is nothing in his 

 dress to attract attention, if he remains perfectly still, 

 almost all animals of the deer species will very likely 

 fail to observe him, and will often almost run up 

 against him before they make out what he is. 



It is probable that they have taken him for a tree- 

 stump, or some other inanimate object in the land- 

 scape ; this peculiarity of deer should always be borne 

 in mind when such animals are seen running down 

 wind towards one: no matter how fully exposed to 

 view the hunter may be, his policy is to remain 

 absolutely motionless, and await the progress of events, 

 for if he moves he will be instantly seen. On the 

 other hand with animals of the antelope tribe, on the 

 plains, such tactics could hardly be adopted with a 

 reasonable chance of success, as these keen-eyed creatures 

 will make out the human figure instantly at very 

 great distances; the hunter's chance in such a case 

 is to lie down before he is observed and adopt some 

 one or other of the expedients which will be noticed 

 in our next chapter. 



The foregoing details bring to the front another 

 important point in forest hunting, namely the neces- 

 sity for every now and then stopping to listen, and 

 to take a good look round. Forest animals, it should 

 be remembered, depend to a great extent upon their 

 acute senses of scent and hearing, to warn them of 



