194 



Sierra Club Bulletin, 



A DEER'S BILL OF FARE. 



By Alden Sampson. 



The summer of 1903 I spent in the forest reserves of 

 the United States, mainly of CaUfomia, engaged for the 

 Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture in 

 work for the establishment of game refuges. During days 

 of observation in the saddle, and on foot, and at night by 

 the camp-fire, the subject of a deer's bill of fare often came 

 up for discussion. After repeated conferences with hunt- 

 ers and rangers, the following articles were admitted. As 

 that journey was in a certain sense a voyage of discovery, 

 wherein I was engaged with the study of the general prob- 

 lem of game refuges, unbiased by preconceived theories, 

 so is this list tentative, and includes almost exclusively 

 plants growing in Southern California and in the Sierra 

 Reserve. I would invite criticism from hunters who are 

 able to verify their opinions by the examination of the 

 contents of the stomach of the deer when killed, and 

 would urge all hunters to make a practice of examining 

 and identifying those ingredients. Should this have for 

 result that the hunter thereby gains familiarity with 

 plants, that individual is to be congratulated upon one 

 more card of admission to the delights of the forest. 



In forming this list, I have, in almost every instance, 

 tasted the leaves of the plant which is included ; by doing 

 this one comes to know with a certain instinctive certainty 

 what a deer would not like. The deer have a sensitive 

 and cultivated palate. Their food, if not purified by fire 



