WILDERNESS RESERVES 297 



even of curiosity. I have no question whatever but that 

 with a little patience this particular band could be made 

 to feed out of a man's hand. Major Pitcher intends 

 during the coming winter to feed them alfalfa for game 

 animals of several kinds have become so plentiful in the 

 neighborhood of the Hot Springs, and the Major has 

 grown so interested in them, that he wishes to do some- 

 thing toward feeding them during the severe weather. 

 After I had looked at the sheep to my heart's content, 

 I walked back to my horse, my departure arousing as 

 little interest as my advent. 



Soon after leaving them we began to come across 

 blacktail deer, singly, in twos and threes, and in small 

 bunches of a dozen or so. They were almost as tame 

 as the mountain sheep, but not quite. That is, they al- 

 ways looked alertly at me, and though if I stayed still 

 they would graze, they kept a watch over my movements 

 and usually moved slowly off when I got within less than 

 forty yards of them. Up to that distance, whether on 

 foot or on horseback, they paid but little heed to me, and 

 on several occasions they allowed me to come much 

 closer. Like the bighorn, the blacktails at this time were 

 grazing, not browsing; but I occasionally saw them nib- 

 ble some willow buds. During the winter they had been 

 browsing. As we got close to the Hot Springs we came 

 across several whitetail in an open, marshy meadow. 

 They were not quite as tame as the blacktail, although 

 without any difficulty I walked up to within fifty yards 

 of them. Handsome though the blacktail is, the white- 

 tail is the most beautiful of all deer when in motion, 



