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CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



through thus obtaining a view of the strange object from these different 

 angles, she was able to make out the image of a man for, although I 

 remained motionless, she immediately turned and trotted off. 



As has been previously stated, the ears of the mule deer are exceed- 

 ingly flexible and may be readily turned in any direction — backward, 

 sidewise, and forward — so as best to detect the slightest sound. This 

 ability is particularly marked in the doe, which, through the responsi- 

 bility of care of young, frequently utilizes the sense of hearing to a 

 finer degree than do the bucks which have only themselves to look 

 out for. 



In Yosemite Valley on July 20, 1928. I watched an old mule deer 

 doe (see Fig. 72) which, upon detecting the approach of a large black 



Fig. 72. Adult California mule deer doe and twin spotted fawns trying to 

 locate an intruder. Note use of ears, eyes and nostrils. Yosemite, July 20, 1928. 

 Mus. Vert. Zool. No. 5510. 



bear, had called her two spotted fawns from a thicket of velvet grass. 

 As the bear turned and wandered off in another direction through the 

 woods, the doe's ears were flexed constantly, first forward and then 

 backward, in an intense effort to detect the slightest sound made by 

 the bear, which was screened in a thicket nearby. In this instance, the 

 senses of sight, scent, and sound were all used by the doe to secure for 

 her offspring the greatest possible protection. However, she seemed 

 to depend more upon her hearing than upon the other senses to locate 

 the hidden danger. 



The position of the tail of the mule deer has been subject to much 

 discussion. Under normal conditions its short, cylindrical tail hangs 

 directly downward, or it may be twitched violently back and forth 



