26 Deer and Antelope of North America 



self-defence because they would eat him out of 

 house and home. But the true sportsman is 

 never wanton in slaughter. If he is worthy the 

 name, he will feel infinitely more satisfaction in 

 a single successful shot which comes to crown 

 the triumph of his hardihood and address in ex- 

 ploring the wilds, and in the actual stalk, than 

 he would in any amount of shooting at creatures 

 driven past him from artificially stocked covers. 

 The best test of the worth of any sport is the 

 demand that sport makes upon those qualities 

 of mind and body which in their sum we call 

 manliness. 



Moreover, in addition to being a true sports- 

 man and not a game butcher, in addition to being 

 a humane man as well as keen-eyed, strong-limbed, 

 and stout-hearted, the big game hunter should 

 be a field naturalist. If possible, he should be an 

 adept with the camera; and hunting with the 

 camera will tax his skill far more than hunting 

 with the rifle, while the results in the long run 

 give much greater satisfaction. Wherever possible 

 he should keep a note-book, and should carefully 

 study and record the habits of the wild creatures, 

 especially when in some remote regions to which 

 trained scientific observers but rarely have access. 

 If we could only produce a hunter who would do 

 for American big game what John Burroughs has 

 done for the smaller wild life of hedgerow and 



