198 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



all the hill-sides, slopes, etc., in sight. Give first a 

 general look over the whole with your naked eye; 

 then run over it in detail with the glass. Look espe- 

 cially in the brush of sunny hill-sides; look around all 

 scattering bushes; look in the bottoms of all ravines, 

 etc.; look on the tops of all ridges. Look as if you 

 were looking not for deer but for hares, for rabbits, for 

 rats, even for mice. 



Five hundred yards away, and some three hundred 

 feet lower than where you are, you notice a small spot 

 of shiny gray in some bushes. Watch it closely. It 

 may be the sun on a deer's coat, for some of the deer 

 are already laying aside the yellowish-brown coat of 

 summer and putting on the gray of autumn. 



Ah ha! It moves a little. And now ahead comes up 

 from behind a bush and takes a long and careful look: 

 and the sun glistens on some polished horns upon the 

 head of a four-year old buck. 



Now remember, there is positively no haste, for he 

 does not suspect anything. Show nothing below your 

 head; keep that still; and wait long enough to find out 

 what he intends doing. 



He takes a few steps; nibbles a few leaves from a 

 bush; then stands a minute or two and wiggles his 

 tail. He then scratches his head with one hind foot; 

 takes another nibble from a bush; and then stands 

 still a moment. 



Wait just a moment more before deciding what to 

 do. If he is going to remain there, there is no im- 

 mediate haste. You may be quite certain he will 

 not descend any lower at this time of day, for it is 

 nearly eight o'clock. And it is highly probable that 

 he intends coming higher up, for there is hardly cover 



