58 A SPORTING PARADISE 



was enough, so I threw my burden upon the 

 ground. The mother, however, was not satisfied, 

 but pursued me for a considerable distance before 

 she returned to her offspring. 



The Virginian deer when taken young easily 

 becomes domesticated, and will attach itself to its 

 keeper in a few hours. Some have been reared 

 successfully by a she goat or cow. They breed 

 in confinement but become troublesome pets 

 they have been known to bite the heads off 

 chickens and ducks, devour harness, and jump 

 through windows into the house. One to 

 four fawns are the number of the young. At 

 Goose Creek, Mr. Audubon killed a doe with 

 four fawns. The deer when wounded will 

 bleat loudly like a calf, and the buck emits 

 at night a shrill whistling sound. This deer 

 cannot exist without water, and is obliged to 

 visit some stream or spring every night. It 

 is nocturnal in its habits ; when first startled, 

 without being much alarmed, it gives two or 

 three springs, alighting with apparent awkward- 

 ness on three feet, and immediately afterwards 

 resting on the opposite side, erecting its white 

 tail and throwing it from side to side. A few 

 high bounds succeed, whilst the head is turned 



