58 ° 
THE SAVAGE WORLD. 
In the early settlement of the West, the wapiti was very numerous, and 
afforded both sport and subsistence to the hardy pioneers, but in latter years 
it has become so scarce that it is seen at rare intervals, and only in the almost 
inaccessible regions of the extreme northwest, near the British line. A few 
more years and the species will become extinct, unless a few specimens be pre¬ 
served in zoological gardens, where, however, it does not seem to thrive. 
A hunter tells of an amusing battle which occurred between his compan¬ 
ion and an elk that had been excited by a red handkerchief which he had 
about his neck. It seems that the man was incorrigibly lazy and confined his 
exercise to the inevitable duties of camp-life, and to rendering both day and 
night hideous by his attempts 
at singing. According to 
his own report, while resting 
his back against a tree and 
warbling a ditty for his own 
entertainment, he was sud¬ 
denly approached by an elk. 
He resolved to enter a pro¬ 
test against the chronic 
complaints of his laziness, 
so he seized a gun and 
blazed away at the wapiti^ 
which, however, instead of 
at once succumbing to the 
invitation for its conversion 
into venison began a vigo¬ 
rous charge upon the ag¬ 
gressor, and one which, but 
for the opportune return of 
the hunter, might have re¬ 
sulted fatally to the vocalist. 
As it was, the unskilful 
sportsman had his clothing 
converted into fringe, and if 
not dead, still wears marks 
of the stag’s prowess. 
The Fallow Deer (Cer- 
vus dama ) has a spotted coat 
and palmated horns, which 
branch widely. It is so graceful a pet that it is most commonly to be 
found in deer parks. The head of the family keeps by himself, or is sur¬ 
rounded only by very few of the most highly-favored. If away some other 
acts as regent, but he must surrender his authority the instant that his monarch 
appears or he will be ingloriously pushed aside by the horns of the king. His 
authority, once obtained, is unquestioned until failing strength tempts the ambi¬ 
tion of aspiring courtiers. As a rule the fallow deer is reddish, with white 
spottings and two or three white body lines, but sometimes the animal is brown 
or black throughout. The venison is specially good, the skin is manufactured 
into leather, and the horns serve a variety of human needs. 
