ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



l-i83 



THE FAWNS, UNABLE TO STAND THE RIGORS OF WINTER, DIED ONE BY ONE 



The great head was held high, his antlers lay 

 along his back, and his shrill bugle-call rever- 

 berated over the mountain side. 



Later on White Patch ceased to dread the 

 dark woods, and he became used to the bugle- 

 call. He learned that in mad flights from dan- 

 ger it sometimes served to keep the herd to- 

 gether. 



One day the bugle-call from the herd of 

 White Patch was answered just as fiercely, and 

 another great antlered king walked from the 

 woods. The challenge of the monarch of his 

 herd had been accepted. Warily the two bulls 

 approached, for each knew the other's prowess 

 and strength. Their horns met with a crash. 

 Back and forth through the herd they fought, 

 their sharp hoofs and great weight tearing up 

 the ground, while cows and calves quickly made 

 way for them. Gradually the new-comer was 

 pressed back. In vain he tried to gain the up- 

 per hillside. Suddenly he sprang away, wheeled 

 and ran, but not before a cruel thrust from one 

 of the tines of the victor had torn a deep fur- 

 row along his unguarded flank. 



It was now early autumn, and from many di- 

 rections were heard strange booming; sounds, 



and frightened herds were seen madly fleeing 

 from one mountain to another. Very early one 

 morning that awful roar was heard close by, 

 and instantly it sent the whole herd flying in 

 wild panic for the green timber. At first White 

 Patch was so terror stricken that he could not 

 flee. Fear held him spell-bound. He had seen 

 the great antlered monarch of the herd stag- 

 ger, and fall with a crash. He saw two men 

 run from the woods, rush up to the fallen king, 

 and clasp their hands over him in congratula- 

 tion ! How different were the feelings of White 

 Patch, who, could he have spoken, would have 

 said: 



"By what right do you enter God's sanctuary, 

 and desecrate it by destroying one of His most 

 magnificent creatures ? " 



And yet, they were not altogether bad, or 

 they would have shot and killed the fawn which 

 stood within easy range. But now, awakened 

 from his trance, terror lent wings to the feet of 

 White Patch, and madly he fled to overtake the 

 lierd. The next day the herd was joined by 

 another antlered elk, — the vanquished bull with 

 tlie wounded flank. 



