54 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



cle of vision, while the big ears flare impatiently for 

 the faintest sound. Sometimes this looking is con- 

 tinued so long and suspiciously that you feel positive 

 that he suspects you. Yet if you have perfect patience 

 you may soon find that he suspects nothing, though 

 he may have been looking never so keenly and directly 

 at you. When the head is thus up and the animal 

 watching, it is unsafe to make the slightest movement 

 if you are near, as, even if you are out of his sight, his 

 ears are then keener; if within fair shot, you should 

 shoot notwithstanding the movement necessary to do 

 so, as a deer thus watching is liable to vanish at any 

 moment, and, even if suspecting nothing, is liable in a 

 econd to slip out of your sight behind a bush or tree 

 or rise of ground. 



Having finished feeding, the deer generally proceeds 

 to lounge a while. He is a gentleman of elegant leis- 

 ure, and has all the deliberate ease of aristocratic dig- 

 nity. He stands a while and surveys the landscape or 

 the dark rotunda of tree-trunks around him. Then 

 perhaps he scratches one ear with a hind-foot, wiggles 

 his tail, and stands a while longer. If there are any 

 fawns, they are apt to skip and play a little. A year- 

 ling is also apt to feel a little frisky, and even a digni- 

 fied old doe or buck may romp a minute or two with 

 some young deer. 



But there is generally at such times a decided ten- 

 dency to move on. This is generally done by easy 

 stages. The deer walks slowly a little way, and then 

 stops a while. Why he stops he probably does not 

 know himself. He may nibble a twig or two during 

 these pauses, or he may stand half an hour by a bush 

 full of succulent and savory twigs and not touch one. 

 He may stand two, five, twenty, or thirty minutes and 



