240 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



{Xenelaplius bisitlais). We came in contact with these animals 

 both near Lake Buenos Aires and Lake Argentine. At the 

 former place, my friend, Mr. Waag, had marched through the 

 Gorge of the River de los Antiguos, where most of my observa- 

 tions were made. As he was working very hard on his geo- 

 graphical surveys at the time, he did not slioot much, and I think 

 it more than probable that man was an unknown factor of existence 

 to the huemules of that region before we came upon the scene. 



My observations of huemules consistently show that their first 

 attitude towards man is one of curiosity and confidence. I instance 

 some cases to bear out this assertion. 



On December 9, 1900, I had just shot a guanaco upon the 

 western shore of the River de los Antiguos, when a huemul buck 

 about a year old, no doubt startled by the noise, dashed past 

 me within twenty yards, and, catching sight of me, stopped quite 

 still and fixed his eyes upon me. As I remained motionless, he 

 advanced several paces and again halted, looking at me. I was 

 sitting upon the body of the guanaco I had killed, the wind 

 happening to be blowing from the deer towards me. We kept 

 these respective positions for about five minutes. I then lit my 

 pipe. At the scraping of the match he retreated a little, but 

 gathering courage soon paused again. I rose slowly to my feet 

 and advanced steadily towards him. He waited until I was quite 

 close before he sprang away and disappeared from sight up the 

 bari^anca. 



Again in ^lay 1901, being then in the canadon of the River 

 Katarina near Lake Argentino, I saw from the boat what I 

 took to be the horns of a huemul asfainst the backo^round of 

 the low forest. I landed and crossed the swamp in the direc- 

 tion of the thicket. Here, coming into an open space, I saw 

 the buck to whom the horns belonged. Behind him the head 

 and shoulders of a doe were visible projecting from a bush. I 

 continued to walk on till I came within somethino- like one 

 hundred yards, when I sat down behind a fragment of rock and 

 hid myself from their view. The sun was, I remember, but a 

 hands-breadth above the Cordillera, and I made up my mind that 

 would not move until its lower rim had dipped beneath the 



