THE WAPITI. 551 



military precision when it commands. The proud position of ruler is 

 gained by dint of many a fight ; and the combats are unusually fierce, 

 often indeed ending in the death of one of the rivals. Sometimes both 

 perish miserably ; their branching horns become inextricably locked, 

 and the two adversaries, united in a common fate, slowly succumb to 

 hunger and thirst. When the antagonists meet, they do not push with 

 their horns, but, backing from each other for about twenty feet, with 

 blazing eyes, hair turned the wrong way, and heads lowered,' rush 

 together like knights in the tournay, with tremendous speed. At the 

 moment of contact there is a snort of defiance, then a crash of horns, and 

 then each backs off for a new start. This combative nature is retained 

 even in captivity. Audubon relates the following anecdote: "A gentle- 

 man in the interior of Pennsylvania, who kept a pair of Wapiti in a large 

 woodland pasture, was in the habit of taking pieces of bread or a few 

 handfuls of corn with him when he walked in the inclosure, to feed these 

 animals, calling them up for the amusement of his friends. Having 

 occasion to pass through his park one day, and not having furnished 

 himself with bread and corn for his pets, he was followed by the buck, 

 who expected his usual gratification. The gentleman, irritated by its 

 pertinacity, turned round and hit it a sharp blow, upon which, to his 

 astonishment and alarm, the buck, lowering his head, rushed at him and 

 made a furious pass with his horns. Luckily, the man stumbled as he 

 attempted to fly, and fell between two prostrate trunks of trees where 

 the Wapiti was unable to injure him, although it butted at him repeat- 

 edly and kept him prisoner for more than an hour." On the other hand, 

 General Dodge says that, " in a close encounter with either man or dog, 

 he is not to be compared for a moment, as a dangerous animal, with 

 the common red deer." 



These deer are great travelers, and when not molested walk in single 

 file, but when disturbed, they run together like a flock of sheep ; and 

 then, when they again advance, form a wedge-shaped mass, the leader at 

 the point. If this leader is shot, all the followers stop, huddle together, 

 and seem to consult. Then another deer steps to the front, and acts as 

 leader. This peculiarity of having to stop and select new leaders when 

 one is killed, enables a good marksman to bring down several deer. 

 " The gravest objection to this style of shooting," writes General Dodge, 

 is that, nine times out of ten, the leader is a doe. The buck rarely takes 

 the lead, and if he brings up the rear, it is because his fat prevents him 



