370 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



rocks be near, the wary hunter makes sure of his prey. Behind 

 one of these he cautiously creeps and having laid himself very 

 close, with his bow and arrow before him, imitates the bellow of 

 the deer when calling each other ; sometimes for more complete 

 deception the hunter wears his deer-skin coat and hood so drawn 

 over his head, as to resemble in a great measure the unsuspecting 

 animals he is enticing. Though the bellow proves considerable 

 attraction, yet if a man has great patience he may do without it 

 and may be equally certain that his prey will ultimately come to 

 examine him ; the Reindeer being an inquisitive animal and at 

 the same time so silly that if he sees any suspicious object which 

 is not actually chasing him he will gradually and after many ca- 

 perings and forming repeated circles approach nearer and nearer to 

 it. The Esquimaux rarely shoot till the creature is within twelve 

 paces, and 1 have been frequently told of their being killed at a 

 much shorter distance. It is to be observed that the hunters 

 never appear openly, but employ stratagem for their purpose ; 

 thus by patience and ingenuity rendering their rudely formed 

 bows, and still worse arrows, as effective as the rifles of the Eu- 

 ropeans. Where two men hunt in company they sometimes pur- 

 posely show themselves to the deer, one before the other. The 

 deer follows and when the hunters arrive near a stone the fore- 

 most drops behind it and prepares his bow, while his companion 

 continues walking steadily forward. This latter the deer still 

 follows unsuspectingly, who thus passes near the concealed man 

 who takes deliberate aim and kills the animal. When the deer 

 assemble in herds there are particular passes which they invaria- 

 bly take, and on being driven to them are killed by arrows by 

 the men, while the women with shouts drive them to the water. 

 Here they swim with the ease and activity of water-dogs, the 

 people in hayaks chasing and easily spearing them. The car- 

 casses float and the hunter then presses forward and kills as many 

 as he finds in his track. No springs or traps are used in the 

 capture of these animals, as is practiced to the southward, in con- 

 sequence of the total absence of standing wood." 



We nowhere else find in the same space so much valuable in- 

 formation concerning this animal as in this extract. 



It tells us of the great curiosity of this deer, which so often 

 leads it to destruction, in which it most resembles our antelope, 

 but it conclusively proves as well that the vision is so defective 

 that even with the aid of motion it cannot identify objects. The 

 facts stated also show that this deer has not the acute sense of 



