330 



CALIFORNIA FISTT AND GAME 



known locally as "buck" brush grew abundantly and served as the 

 l)rincipal food of Rocky Mountain mule deer in that region in late 

 fall and winter. 



On September 24, 1924, at Ilackamore Reservoir in ]\Iodoc County, 

 I examined two dead Rocky Mountain mule deer, a four-point buck and 

 a doe, and found their stomachs over half full of mud that they had 

 eaten. Vegetation found in tliese deer stomachs consisted of service 

 berry leaves, 20 per cent ; and manzanita leaves, 20 per cent ; mud, 60 

 per cent, made up the rest of the stomach contents. Stomach contents 

 of a dead fawn at this locality consisted almost entirely of manzanita 

 leaves. The intestines of these two adult deer contained only mud 

 wiiicli may liave been eaten because of the lack of salt. 



In Yosemite, on September 15, 

 1927, four California mule deer 

 does were watched and photo- 

 graphed as they returned re- 

 ]:)eatedly to browse on a green 

 tumble-weed (see Fig. 125). 

 Another doe nearby was found 

 feeding on the leaves and twigs 

 of a gooseberry bush (see Fig. 

 127). At this time in Yosemite, 

 mule deer were feeding more ex- 

 tensively on deer brush than on 

 anv other forage plant (see Fig. 

 128). 



This greatly increased use of 

 Cennofhns by mule deer in the 

 fall has been noted and recorded 

 by the writer dozens of times 

 in the Lassen, Yosemite and 

 Sequoia sections of the Sierra 

 Nevada as well as in the moun- 

 tains of southern California. It 

 is my conclusion, after 30 years ' 

 experience, that Ceanothus is 

 without doubt the most impor- 

 tant genus of forage plants for 

 deer in California. Wm. A. Day- 

 ton, in his Important Westerti Browse Plants (Miscellaneous Publica- 

 tion No. 101, July, 1931, U. S. D. A.) considers Ceanothus integerrimus 

 as "probably the most important single browse species in California." 

 It has been my experience that this holds for deer, as well as for cattle 

 and sheep. However, several other species of Ceanothus are nearly as 

 important to mule deer as integerrimus. As authorities do not agree on 

 common names for Ceanothus I am forced here to use scientific names in 

 order to be definite. In the Lassen, Yosemite and even in Sequoia sec- 

 tions Ceanothus cordulatus known as snow brush or white thorn is 

 abundant over hundreds of square miles, being more abundant, if not 



FXG. 125. California mule doer doe eat- 

 ing tumble-weed. Mule deer are 

 fond of many agricultural weeds, 

 especially in late summer and 

 early fall. Yosemite, September 

 15, 1927. Mus. Vert. Zool. No. 

 5500. 



