LV THE FAR WEST. 325 



grains of powder is an excellent weapon to use in stalking it; 

 and if a person is only careful in his movements, is not in 

 too much of a hurry, does not walk too rapidly, and hunts 

 to windward, he will find that the supposed great difficulty 

 of killing the wary pronghorn will soon vanish, and that 

 he may place it among his trophies of the chase without 

 much difficulty. 



It is an easy matter to get fawns at almost any time, ns 

 they are rather tame and unsuspicious, and so fond of playing, 

 that if they have none of their o\vn companions to romp 

 with they make imaginary playfellows out of clumps of weeds 

 or grass, and indulge in all sorts of gambols about them. 



Even the adults may be brought within rifle range if a 

 person stands still or sits down, provided they do not wind 

 him, as they become accustomed to the strangest objects, 

 which are stationary, in a short time. 



The males keep by themselves from spring until the running 

 season commences in September, when they rejoin the females 

 and the fawns. They may be found near water in the evening, 

 but during the day they frequent the uplands, as they feel 

 more secure there, owing to the extent of country they can 

 survey at a glance. 



A wounded stag, unlike his cervidean kindred, the moose, 

 wapiti, and mule deer, shows little combativeness, yet he will 

 occasionally charge a hunter, and, if he can, use both horns 

 and legs upon him. He will boldly face a wolf, however, when 

 brought to bay; but his opportunities for such a display of 

 courage are rather scarce I fancy, as I never saw his lupine foe 

 able to overtake him in a straight run ; and ;< : x months old 

 fawn can get out of the way of a pack of pra; e wolves before 

 they could ask where it was going. 



This interesting animal, like some others, is destined to 

 disappear in a short time from the list of the American fauna, 

 for it cannot live in a thickly inhabited country/and its favourite 

 haunts are now being occupied so rapidly by stock-raisers that 

 their herds and flocks are pushing- it further into wild and 

 inhospitable regions, where it often falls a victim to cold and 

 hunger, or the attacks of stronger foes-. 



