320 



CALIFORNIA FISFI AND GAME 



On May 12, 1929, i watched 13 deer (three bucks, six does and 

 four fawns) as they fed in an open meadow. During tlie hour tliat J 

 watched them I had an excellent opportunity to observe that at least 

 90 per cent of their food at this season consisted of fresh green growing 

 grass which at this date had attained a height of four to six inches. 

 By watching carefully Avith binoculars at close range, I found that 

 Kentucky blue grass and meadow fescue were being eaten most exten- 

 sivel}' and that the two together formed about 40 i)er cent of the food 

 taken, while small annual weeds, too immature and too small to be 

 identified, formed the remaining portion of their diet. 



Fig. 117. Dead limbs covered with staghorn lichen are broken off by winter 

 storms. A mule deer fawn is here shown stripping and eating the moss from 

 such a fallen limb. Sequoia National Park, December 19, 1929. Wildlife 

 Division No. 352. 



On July 16, 1928, in Yosemite, I watched three large bucks as they 

 grazed in an open meadow. One four-point buck fed steadily for 10 

 minutes on Kentucky blue grass and for 15 minutes on meadow fescue 

 grass. 



Between June 20 and July 2, 1927, I watched 136 different deer 

 feeding for a total of 1217 minutes, and found that green growdng 

 grass was selected as food by a larger number of deer than was any 

 other species of plant with the exception of Spanish clover. 



A similar condition was found to exist in San Diego Count}- wdiere 

 for man}^ years I found southern mule deer feeding regularly and 

 extensively, in early winter, upon fresh, green and tender wild oats. 



