MAMMALIA, QA9 
by keeping to leeward of them, and using a little caution, may approach very 
near ; their apprehensions being much more easily roused by the smell than the 
sight of any unusual object. Indeed their curiosity often causes them to come 
close up to and wheel round the hunter, thus affording him a good opportunity of 
singling out the fattest of the herd, and upon these occasions they become so 
confused by the shouts and gestures of their enemy, that they run backwards and 
forwards with great rapidity, but without the power of making their escape. The 
Copper Indians find by experience that a white dress attracts them most readily, 
and they often succeed in bringing them within shot, by kneeling and vibrating 
the gun from side to side, in imitation of the motion of a deer’s horns when he is 
in the act of rubbing his head against a stone. ‘The Dog-rib Indians have a mode 
of killing these animals, which, though simple, is very successful. It was thus 
described by Mr. Wentzel, who resided long amongst that people. The hunters 
go in pairs, the foremost man carrying in one hand the horns and part of the skin 
of the head of a deer, and in the other a small bundle of twigs, against which he, 
from time to time, rubs the horns, imitating the gestures peculiar to the animal. 
His comrade follows treading exactly in his footsteps, and holding the guns of 
both in a horizontal position, so that the muzzles project under the arms of him 
who carries the head. Both hunters have a fillet of white skin round their fore- 
heads, and the foremost has a strip of the same round his wrists. They approach 
the herd by degrees, raising their legs very slowly but setting them down some- 
what suddenly, after the manner of a deer, and always taking care to lift their 
right or left feet simultaneously. If any of the herd leave off feeding to gaze 
upon this extraordinary phenomenon, it instantly stops, and the head begins to 
play its part by licking its shoulders and performing other necessary movements. 
In this way the hunters attain the very centre of the herd without exciting sus- 
picion, and have leisure to single out the fattest. The hindmost man then pushes 
forward his comrade’s gun, the head is dropt, and they both fire nearly at the 
same instant. The deer scamper off, the hunters trot after them; in a short 
time the poor animals halt to ascertain the cause of their terror, their foes stop at 
the same moment, and having loaded as they ran, greet the gazers with a second 
fatal discharge. The consternation of the deer increases, they run to and fro in 
the utmost confusion, and sometimes a great part of the herd is destroyed within 
the space of a few hundred yards.” 
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