228 Deer of the Pacific Coast 



verdure, or a curve of glistening hair may rise 

 and fall like the dolphin through the wave as the 

 deer discovers the hunter's presence. Though 

 the greater number will be found in the heavy 

 timber which covers most of the range of this deer, 

 throughout the southern part of its range it will 

 be found from coast to mountain top in this heavy 

 brush almost as much as in the timbered portions. 

 In the mountains the blacktail roves to the 

 highest points on which there is soil enough to 

 show his footstep ; and often, where there is not, 

 the mark where his sharp feet have scraped upon 

 the rock may be seen. But these tracks are made 

 mainly at night, and apparently the deer goes there 

 out of curiosity. The maker of such tracks is 

 hardly ever found there by daylight, nor does he 

 leave any bed or other sign of staying long. He 

 spends the day far below, where the arctic willow 

 nods over the bubbling spring, where the snowy 

 columbine gives place to the red one, where the 

 tiger-lily flames in the little green meadow and the 

 mountain-alder rears its brilliant green. But even 

 this is too high for most of them. For, unless 

 much persecuted, the majority of deer will be 

 found, not where the chinquapin is dwarfed by 

 cold to a mere mat along the ground, on the top 

 of which one can almost walk, but where the 

 sunny tinge of the golden-leaved live-oak warms 

 the heavy shades, where the sugar-pine bends its 



