ATTITUDE OF WILD ANIMALS TOWARDS MAN 241 



snow-peaks. At the time I had set for myself I peered round 

 the edge of the rock very carefully — as slowly as one peers when 

 one is observing the movements of a gaggle of Scotch grey-lags. 

 Imagine my surprise when there, not ten yards away, appeared 

 the face of the doe, her gaze fixed upon mine ! On seeing me 

 thus suddenly she ran back to the shelter of the undergrowth 

 from which she had oriofinallv emerged, and from which the buck 

 durino the interval- had not stirred. The shades of evenintr were 

 fast falling, and I was obliged to make an end of my watching for 

 lack of licrht. 



But undoubtedly the most remarkable example of the natural 

 tameness of the huemul occurred on May 9. I was in the same 

 cahadou, and on this occasion had the luck to secure a photo- 

 graph of the doe as she went away. It was about noon that I, 

 being on my way up the caiiadon in a northerly direction, heard 

 a stick break in a thicket near by, and a moment afterwards a 

 huemul buck came into view. Fortunately I had not caught 

 his eye, and he remained looking out from a patch of bushes, 

 wondering, I suppose, what strange animal this could be that was 

 comine towards him. Pretendino- that I had not observed him, I 

 threw myself down among the high grass and waited for develop- 

 ments. The buck snorted twice or thrice and advanced to within 

 thirty yards of where I lay. He stood upon the side of a hummock, 

 flanked by his two hinds. They were shortly joined by a third, 

 which came up out of the hollow behind them. I lay perfectly 

 still. The buck halted, but the hinds came on till within a few feet 

 of me. The buck now approached on the right ; he was a four-pointer. 

 The does had winded me. Two of them were mature, the third 

 a half-grown hind. Before five minutes were over the hinds had 

 come so near as to be almost touching me. Presently the half- 

 orown hind sniffed mv boot and started back, taking the other 

 three with her. They drew nearer a second time, the buck coming 

 within a yard of me, and dropping his horns as though to turn me 

 over. I did not (^uite like the action, as it might have meant more 

 than a mere push, and therefore raised myself genil\- to a sitting- 

 position. The deer retreated about thirty yards, and there stood, 

 not taking their eyes from me for a considerable time. Seeing 



