THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
over 25 inches in length are rare and Ward gives the maximum as 
29 inches. One of the finest white -tail heads I have seen was killed 
in British Columbia, where good examples are extremely rare, and 
another superb example from the Mississippi Valley is one of the best 
heads in the Natural History Museum at Berlin. I made a sketch of it 
whilst three policemen stood around and eyed me with suspicion. Some- 
times bucks are found without antlers, and there are in the case of this 
species several instances of females growing small horns. As in the case 
of the mule deer, the form of the horns is such that the fighting male is 
able to do little or no damage to his adversary. When two males battle 
and the shape of the horns of one is slightly less than that of his opponent 
the antlers sometimes become interlocked and both animals die of starva- 
tion. These instances are more common in the cases of white-tailed deer 
than other species. Audubon and Bachman relate an instance where the 
horns of three bucks became interlocked. There are two instances in 
Germany of red deer having been fixed in the tree whilst cleaning their 
antlers, and the tree has continued to grow holding the horns and skull 
until they were found thus amalgamated. In the New York State Museum 
is exhibited a portion of a tree with the antler of a white -tail driven through 
or fixed in it. 
The hearing and powers of scent of the white -tail are wonderfully acute. 
Whilst their powers of seeing, that is, of recognizing shapes and forms, is 
not remarkable, Audubon and Bachman go so far as to say it is very imper- 
fect. “ We have often, when standing still,” they say, ” perceived the deer 
passing within a few yards without observing us, but we have often noticed 
the affrighted start when we moved our position or when they scented us 
by the wind.” As a matter of fact, this is the case not only with deer but 
nearly all wild animals. If a man stands perfectly still, especially if 
motionless besides a tree or rock, almost any wild beast will pass by if he 
does not move. The beast gazes steadily at you, but seems to fail to recog- 
nize the form unless it moves. I have often been passed by hinds and stags 
in a Scottish deer forest, even where the deer were very wild, within a space 
of five yards, and the animals have stared at me and then walked quietly 
away. I have even twitched my head or hand and seen a corresponding 
start on the part of the beast. It saw the movement out of the corner of its 
eye, but still failed to place the object as a living man, and if no further move- 
ment was made it would proceed on its way without alarm. But let a man 
move his whole body, even ever so slowly, and the wild animal starts, 
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