236 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE YO SEMITE 



individuals and that they are able to winter at higher altitudes than do 

 the other deer. 



Aside from actual sight of the animals, the presence of 'sign' (char- 

 acteristic droppings and footprints) is, of course, dependable evidence of 

 the presence of deer in a region. Footprints of deer are much smaller than 

 those of cattle and more pointed than those of either calves or sheep. The 

 largest hoof mark which any of our party saw was that of an old buck. 

 It measured 2 by 2% inches. In general the tracks of does (pi. 40^) are 

 smaller and more acutely tipped than those of bucks, but, in examining 

 many individual tracks, it has proved impossible to say whether they were 

 made by a buck or by a doe. In late summer the river-side sand bars in 

 the vicinity of Merced Lake are in some places literally plowed up by the 

 little tracks of fawns which have been led down there by their mothers 

 to drink. 



Deer take more notice of noise than of motion. If the observer moves 

 quietly and slowly the deer usually will not become frightened, but should 

 a twig be broken under foot or any other sharp noise be made, they are 

 apt to be off at once. The relatively large size of their ears (pi, 39&) 

 probably means that, as a rule, they depend on hearing rather than on 

 sight for the detection of enemies. 



When frightened or excited. Mule Deer utter a sharp snort, and when 

 running away often 'flash' the tail and rump so a-s to form a Avhite 'flag' 

 against the darker color of the rest of the body, reminding one of the 

 appearance of a cottontail rabbit. Possibly this is a warning sign, to other 

 deer, of the proximity of danger, or a signal for fawns to flee. When, 

 however, two or more deer are alarmed and retreat from the vicinity of 

 the observer, they usually separate and go in different directions, reuniting 

 when they again feel safe. This is commonly true of does with young 

 fawns, although sometimes the fawns accompany their mothers closely in 

 a retreat. 



By passing back and forth over a preferred route through the brush 

 or forest, deer often make distinct trails. These are easily distinguished 

 from horse or cow trails by the facts that they are narrower and do not 

 continue for any great distance in a given direction ; they end as soon 

 as a good browsing area is reached. Deer do not follow man-made trails 

 consistently but often take short-cuts. On the zigzags between Ilillouette 

 Creek and Glacier Point we have seen both deer and bear tracks in 

 abundance. The bears had plodded along, following every twist and turn, 

 while the deer had taken short-cuts up or down steep slopes. 



The summer coat of the Mule Deer, which is worn from about June 

 until October, is of a reddisli brown color and the hairs are sparse, short. 

 and straight. The winter coat, which is worn during llie remaining j)ortion 



