370 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 
rocks be near, the wary hunter makes sure of his prey. Behind 
one of these he cautiously creeps and having laid himself very 
close, with his bow and arrow before him, imitates the bellow of 
the deer when calling each other ; sometimes for more complete 
deception the hunter wears his deer-skin coat and hood so drawn 
over his head, as to resemble in a great measure the unsuspecting 
animals he is enticing. ‘Though the bellow proves considerable 
attraction, yet if a man has great patience he may do without it 
and may be equally certain that his prey will ultimately come to 
examine him ; the Reindeer being an inquisitive animal and at 
the same time so silly that if he sees any suspicious object which 
is not actually chasing him he will gradually and after many ca- 
perings and forming repeated circles approach nearer and nearer to 
it. The Esquimaux rarely shoot till the creature is within twelve 
paces, and I have been frequently told of their being killed ata 
much shorter distance. It is to be observed that the hunters 
never appear openly, but employ stratagem for their purpose; 
thus by patience and ingenuity rendering their rudely formed 
bows, and still worse arrows, as effective as the rifles of the Eu- 
ropeans. Where two men hunt in company they sometimes pur- 
posely show themselves to the deer, one before the other. The 
deer follows and when the hunters arrive near a stone the fore- 
most drops behind it and prepares his bow, while his companion 
continues walking steadily forward. ‘This latter the deer still 
follows unsuspectingly, who thus passes near the concealed man 
who takes deliberate aim and.kills the animal. When the deer 
assemble in herds there are particular passes which they invaria- 
bly take, and on being driven to them are killed by arrows by 
the men, while the women with shouts drive them to the water. 
Here they swim with the ease and activity of water-dogs, the 
people in hayaks chasing and easily spearing ‘them. The car- 
casses float and the hunter then presses forward and kills as many 
as he finds in his track. No springs or traps are used in the 
capture of these animals, as is practiced to the southward, in con- 
sequence of the total absence of standing wood.” 
We nowhere else find in the same space so much valuable in- 
formation concerning this animal as in this extract. 
It tells us of the great curiosity of this deer, which so often 
leads it to destruction, in which it most resembles our antelope, 
but it conclusively proves as well that the vision is so defective 
that even with the aid of motion it cannot identify objects. The 
facts stated also show that this deer has not the acute sense of 
