THE VIRGINIAN DEER 59 



in every direction to enable the animal to 

 detect the cause of alarm. The leaps and high 

 boundings of this deer are so graceful that they 

 cannot be witnessed without admiration. In 

 riding through woods at night I have often 

 heard them stamp their feet, the bucks on such 

 occasions giving a loud snort, then bounding 

 off for a few yards, and again repeating the 

 stamping and snorting, which appear to be 

 nocturnal habits. Deer have been known to 

 plunge into the surf, and swim out to sea for 

 a mile or two when heavily pressed. 



The tender, juicy, savoury, and, above all, 

 digestible qualities of the flesh of the Virginian 

 deer are well known ; and the venison is held in 

 highest esteem from the camp of the back- 

 woodsman to the luxurious tables of the opulent, 

 and, when not kept too long, a fat haunch 

 with jelly is almost as much relished as a 

 " hunter's steak " cooked in the open air on 

 a frosty evening far away in the dark recesses 

 of the forest. The weight of this deer has 

 rarely exceeded 200 Ibs. 



Tremendous battles ensue when the buck is 

 in full run in search of the does. On meeting 

 with other males, the weaker animal has been 



