THE MULE-DEER 97 



fast (the bull-dog was far behind) and was evidently 

 aware that the dog could not catch him. I fired sev- 

 eral shots at the buck, two of which were evidently 

 hio-h and the last too low, and he went on unharmed. 

 The dog soon came back thoroughly tired out. Dogs 

 have not been much used on mule-deer, but Van Dyke 

 agrees with Caton that they can overtake them in the 

 open, but not in cover. The first-named writer says 

 that the hounds are not serviceable in driving this deer 

 to the gun stationed on a run-way, since the mule-deer 

 goes bouncing through the woods almost anywhere 

 when alarmed, and takes a different course off the hill 

 each time. The whole subject of the use of dogs is no 

 longer important since the better sentiment of sports- 

 men is now against their use. There is, too, a legal 

 prohibition of the use of dogs on deer in many States, 

 and there should be one everywhere, since the hounding 

 of deer has a tendency to run them out of the country, 

 besides being very destructive, since deer are easily 

 shot in the water. A sportsman is not eligible to mem- 

 bership in the Boone and Crockett Club who kills his 

 deer with the assistance of hounds, since this method is 

 held by the club not to come within the meaning of the 

 term, " fair chase." 



The Virginia deer, when running, carries its tail, 

 which is long, white, and very noticeable, up. The 

 mule-deer runs with its tail down. Judge Caton, how- 

 ever, speaks of a mule-deer in his park which ran with 

 its tail elevated, and the hairs spread out like the Vir- 

 ginia deer. 



The mule-deer is distinctly a Western deer. It was 

 formerly abundant from the Missouri River region to 



