202 BULLETIN 56, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



and skeleton of a mule deer that had gotten into this pitfall, prob- 

 ably when the entrance was blocked with drifted snow. 



When hunting a herd of frightened deer, near Fort Verde, the 

 terrified creatures rushed over a vertical cliff, at the edge of a mesa, 

 and disappeared. Looking over the edge, and expecting to see them 

 all dead and mangled below, I. was astonished to see the herd strung 

 out along several narrow ledges, whence they all reached the bottom 

 of the canyon in safety ; and I am glad to say that not one of them fell 

 to our guns. On another occasion, in the middle of July, 1884, when 

 riding over a mesa only a mile or two east of Fort Verde, in the cen- 

 tral part of Arizona, I came close upon a doe and little fawn that 

 were lying in the shade of a red juniper tree. They sprang to their 

 feet, looked at me an instant, and cantered to the edge of a deep 

 canyon close by and disappeared. I rode instantly to the edge of the 

 canyon, but the deer had already reached the bottom of it. It seemed 

 incredible that they should have done so, as the canyon was deep, 

 precipitous, and very rocky ; and this fawn could not have been more 

 than two months old. It was indeed a remarkable feat of agility. 

 Having reached the bed of the canyon both stopped and gazed fixedly 

 at me, then alternately trotted a little way and stopped to look. 

 Hiding along the bluff I startled them again and watched them gallop 

 off a mile or more toward Beaver Creek. 



When frightened, deer pay no heed to the sharp-spined cactus ; 

 and all that I have skinned have had cactus spines embedded in the 

 tissues next to the bones of the limbs. These must cause pain, as 

 before becoming encysted much inflammation is set up. Parasites 

 also cause them much annoyance, and endanger their lives by affect- 

 ing their sense of hearing and of smell. Ticks infest their ears, 

 penetrating to the drum, and sometimes blocking up the external 

 auditory canal. In one instance a dozen ticks were removed from the 

 canal, where they had created an intense inflammation, the skin hav- 

 ing peeled off entirely, leaving a red, inflamed surface. These ticks 

 were preserved, and subsequently identified as the western cattle 

 tick {Ixodes hovis) by Mr. William Beutenmiiller. A large, grub- 

 like larva,^ measuring 25 by 10 mm. when not in motion, was found 

 to be a very common parasite upon the nasal mucous membrane of 

 this deer, in central Arizona. These parasites must be a source of 

 almost intolerable suffering to the deer, beside rendering them an 

 easy prey to their enemies. 



oThe larva infesting tlie nasal cavity of the mule deer is of the family 

 (EstridcB, possibly CEsirus ovis Linnneus, a parasite of the mucous membrane 

 of the sheep. Another .species (Hypodernia tarandi) infests the reindeer in 

 like manner. 



