198 Deer of the Pacific Coast 



seven wide, that a moment ago looked so stupid 

 when they were thrown back and the animal had 

 its head down, suddenly round out to a graceful 

 oval the minute they are thrown forward in quest 

 of danger, and seem not a whit too large, even in 

 the fawn, on which they are almost as large as on 

 the adult. The angularity of a moment ago gives 

 sudden place to flowing lines that are pretty even 

 in a poor deer and charming on a fat one. 



Still more surprising is the change when the 

 mule-deer concludes that 'danger is imminent. 

 Though he knows right well how to canter, and 

 can lay himself to the ground in dead run like a 

 horse if necessary, he seems to enjoy leaping high, 

 as if to tempt your fire, and for this he prefers 

 the bouncing gait. All four hoofs strike the 

 ground with one far-sounding thump which sends 

 it aloft much higher than the common leap of 

 the Virginia deer. The feet are gathered closely 

 up as it rises, held so till on the descend, when 

 they are again thrown downward like steel springs 

 to spurn the ground. This makes a gait that is 

 exceedingly pretty, though on principle much 

 more tiresome than the lower loping pace of 

 other deer. The animal is all the time throwing 

 itself higher than is needed, thus lengthening the 

 time between the points of striking ground with- 

 out increasing the distance between them. The 

 consequence is that, because it will not let itself 



