A Deer's Bill of Fare. 



201 



steal them from the garden; wild choke-cherries, the 

 holly-leaved cherry, and, perhaps for tonic variety, the 

 little bitter wild cherry ; the hips of rose-bushes, the wild 

 plum, wild grapes, of which there are two varieties, the 

 black and the green, the wild California coffee-berry, and 

 perhaps the bearberry, or killikinick. Cattle, horses, and 

 goats love the lupine, of which there are many varieties ; 

 whether or not deer eat these I am not quite certain, but 

 feel a reasonable degree of confidence that they do. 

 They are fond of alfalfa when they can get it, and the 

 leaves of lettuce, beets, turnips, cabbage, chicory, and 

 peas. Green peas and string-beans of course are dear 

 delights. I think that they, as well as humans, eat the 

 humble herb of the garden and farmyard, the world-wide 

 and unflattered pigweed. It is not so generally known 

 as one would expect it to be that the young growth of 

 this plant when boiled makes excellent ''greens." When 

 man so employs it he calls it by the more flattering appel- 

 lation of lamb's-quarter."^ Deer eat the leaves of the 

 cascara,t a name certainly advertised sufficiently now to 

 be familiar to all. They eat the tender stalk of the 

 Quixote-plant, which, in full flower, proudly flaunts its 

 cream-white blossoms along the foot-hills, scattered 

 standards of beauty, very striking seen rising high out 

 of the chaparral. This is more commonly known as 

 the yucca, one of several varieties, yet I was corrected by 

 a well-informed ranger for calling it such rather than 

 by the name more usually employed by the Mexicans. 

 Deer love the leaves of the chinquapin and its little 



* The leaves of the California poppy are used also by the Indians for 

 greens. Does the deer crop these? 

 t The Mexican cascara sagrada. 



