VIRGINIA DEER. 87 



the heart is as large as the brain, and if the ball misses the brain, 

 the deer continues on his way, apparently as well as ever, or even 

 if the ball has lodged in the face or muscles of the neck, j'ou will 

 still have great diflficulty in finding your deer unless accompanied 

 by a dog. This is where the deerhound is so useful, saving the 

 sportsman an all day's tramp after a wounded animal. The Scotch 

 plan is to keep the dogs in leash until the deer is shot, and if only 

 wounded, to slip the dogs, and in a short time the deer will be 

 brought to bay. Many sportsmen and good ones too, take great 

 exception to still-hunting, and some are " down " on the man who 

 silently and carefully watches through the forest up wind for hours 

 and hours, ultimately coming across a deer track, following it up 

 again for hours and hours, finally creeps up to within 100 or 250 

 yards of the deer and kills it, and lastly by a short cut finds him- 

 self fifteen miles away from home or camp, with every likelihood 

 of having to sleep in the forest all night. Is not this sportsman, 

 by all the laws laid down, even by the most fastidious of men, 

 entitled to his game .' 



It cannot be doubted that sportsmen generally, and especially 

 novices in still-hunting, make the mistake of hunting too much. 

 Moving about through the woods has the effect to scare the game 

 away, and in consequence a man may often cover a large tract of 

 good ground and see absolutely nothing. The less " hunting " 

 the more game usually. A dozen squirrels can be shot from the 

 same stand oftentimes, if one will only be content to remain quiet. 

 In deer stalking, too, it is not necessary for a hunter to run the 

 animal to earth as he would a fox. Let him but stand still as soon 

 as he discovers the deer and perceives that he is discovered in turn, 

 and the deer, if not much frightened, will not run far. After she 

 breaks cover she will make a few wild leaps and then stop and 

 turn to ascertain the cause and character of the alarm. She will 

 not run far if not followed, and will remain in the vicinity until her 

 curiosity is satisfied. There is a natural inquisitiveness about 

 animals. They don't become frightened as much through the 

 sense of sight as through the senses of smell or hearing — particu- 

 larly the first. 



Naturalists are the most successful hunters, for in their search 

 for information it becomes necessary to lie perdu for hours, in 



