THE CHASE. 377 
moose and the woodland caribou. It is fond of the broken foot- 
hills and rocky mountain sides, as well as the deep seclusion of 
the dense forests of the lowlands. In California it is more fre- 
quently found in such localities as first described ; while in Oregon 
and Washington territory, it finds a welcome home in the deep 
shades of the vast forest regions which there abound, preferring 
localities not too remote from the broken rocky country, to which 
it can retreat in case of danger. In the southern part of their 
range, or as far south as San Francisco, along the coast, they fre- 
quently occupy the ground which they inhabit, to the almost en- 
tire exclusion of the other species of deer, while in the neighbor- 
hood of the Columbia River, they are associated with a variety of 
C. Virginianus, called the white-tailed or long-tailed deer, which 
in many localities outnumber them. Further north again, and 
on the islands of Puget’s Sound they assert their numerical supe- 
riority. 
In the mountainous regions, the common mode of pursuing 
this animal is by the still-hunt or stalking. As the animal is an 
early riser, the still hunter must be astir betimes, and by the 
first dawn of the morning must be far beyond the influence of his 
camp upon ground previously selected, and there, in profound 
stillness, he must attentively listen for the least sound which 
may advise him of the approach of the game ; and as the increased 
light enables him to survey a wider region from some command- 
ing position he may have taken, he scans the valley beneath and 
the mountain side, among the rocks and the bushy thickets. 
If at last no sound or sign from these is heard or seen, he cau- 
tiously moves along the ridge, if in the wet season, in search of 
a track, and when that is found, the course of the wind in refer- 
ence to the direction taken by the deer is first considered, and a 
direct pursuit or a detour is made, as his judgment may dictate. 
A rapid pursuit is not so important, as the extremest caution. 
The whole field of observation must be constantly and carefully 
scanned. Every step must be taken, as if in close proximity to 
the game. Not a stick must be broken under the feet, not a 
stoné dislodged to go thrashing down the cliff, no bush shaken, 
which may give warning of his presence. The silent solitude 
must remain unbroken, while the closest attention must be given, 
to catch even the faintest sound from any quarter. True, the 
game may be miles away, but then, again, the hunter may be 
close upon it. If he relaxes his caution, it may be at the critical 
moment when the prize is just within his grasp, and his only 
