THE CHASE. 377 



moose and the woodland caribon. It is fond of the broken foot- 

 hills and rocky mountain sides, as well as the deep seclusion of 

 the dense forests of the lowlands. In California it is more fre- 

 quently found in such localities as first desci'ibed ; while in Oregon 

 and Washington territory, it finds a welcome home in the deep 

 shades of the vast forest regions which there abound, preferring 

 localities not too remote from the broken rocky country, to which 

 it can retreat in case of danger. In the southern part of their 

 range, or as far south as San Francisco, along the coast, they fre- 

 quently occupy the ground which they inhabit, to the almost en- 

 tire exclusion of the other species of deer, while in the neighbor- 

 hood of the Columbia River, they are associated with a variety of 

 C. Virginianus, called the white-tailed or long-tailed deer, which 

 in many localities outnumber them. Further north again, and 

 on the islands of Puget's Sound they assert their numerical supe- 

 riority. 



In the mountainous regions, the common mode of pursuing 

 this animal is by the still-hunt or stalking. As the animal is an 

 early riser, the still hunter must be astir betimes, and by the 

 first dawn of the morning must be far beyond the influence of his 

 camp upon ground previously selected, and there, in profound 

 stillness, he must attentively listen for the least sound which 

 may advise him of the approach of the game ; and as the increased 

 light enables him to survey a wider region from some command- 

 ing position he may have taken, he scans the valley beneath and 

 the mountain side, among the rocks and the bushy thickets. 

 If at last no sound or sign from these is heard or seen, he cau- 

 tiously moves along the ridge, if in the wet season, in search of 

 a track, and when that is found, the course of the wind in refer- 

 ence to the direction taken by the deer is first considered, and a 

 direct pursuit or a detour is made, as his judgment may dictate. 

 A rapid pursuit is not so important, as the extremest caution. 

 The whole field of observation must be constantly and carefully 

 scanned. Every step must be taken, as if in close proximity to 

 the game. Not a stick must be broken under the feet, not a 

 stone dislodged to go thrashing down the cliff, no bush shaken, 

 which may give warning of his presence. The silent solitude 

 must remain unbroken, while the closest attention must be given, 

 to catch even the faintest sound from any quarter. True, the 

 game may be miles away, but then, again, the hunter may be 

 close upon it. If he relaxes his caution, it may be at the critical 

 moment when the prize is just within his grasp, and his only 



