176 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



A DAY IN THE TABLE-LANDS. 



HAVING examined in the abstract still-hunting in 

 open country, let us now consider it in the concrete. 

 We will select for our hunt to-day the mesa, or table- 

 land, that lies along the coast and covers much of the 

 interior of Southern California. I select this because 

 the deer that live on this are essentially open-country 

 deer and not timber-deer happening in the open coun- 

 try. There are various theories here about deer shift- 

 ing from the lowlands to the mountains and vice versa. 

 But although this is true as to some deer, it is not as 

 to the majority of the deer of the mesas, or table-lands, 

 especially near the coast. Most of these deer remain 

 there the year round, although they are of the same 

 variety as the deer of the mountains. Like all deer 

 they are, however, subject at times to a migratory 

 mania without any apparent cause; but as to the ma- 

 jority of deer it is only at long intervals and without 

 any regularity. This is a variety of the mule-deer, 

 but somewhat smaller and shorter-legged than the 

 mule-deer of the Rocky Mountains. This deer is often 

 called the "black-tail," but Judge Caton, of the Illi- 

 nois Supreme Court, a naturalist whose opinion is of 

 more value than that of all the hunters in California, 

 says it is a 'variety of the mule-deer, although having 

 a black tail. Its usual gait when alarmed is a perfect 

 ricochet, or bounce, all four feet being grouped close up 



