Waterbury Democrat., 1902-03-24
DEER THAT SEEK PROTECTION
Some of the Things That Drive the Timid Animals Into the Come
 pany of Man.

ssSome time ago. said Sullivan l county citizen, relates the New York l Sun. s.the Sun published an item about 1 a young deer pursued by dogs that bounded into Maine village and yir- l tually sought the protection of boy in the street. That might seem to be an amazing story, but to anyone who I has lived where wild deer abound and has observed their nature it is an in- l cident by no means uncommon. 1 livery woodman knows that all l though the wild deer is the most timid l of animals and dreads intensely the l sight or scent of man, the female deer, when wounded and pressed by hunter l or hound, or when pressed closely and as yet unhurt, will seek the protection 1 of human beings or their habita tions. Buck lawns will also seek such protec- ton, but no buck that has come to the dignity of horns will show such dis position; al least none to my knowl- edge has ever done so.
 '.The strange part of this disposition on the part of does and lawns is that they plainly ask for the protection they seek The most striking instance of this I ever knew was that of the splendid doe that sought refuge from danger in the hamlet of Cooley, in Sul- livan county.
 "A. G. Welch, of that place, was eat ing his supper when he saw the doe come bounding from the wood sinto his dooryard. He hurried to the door, and the doe trotted straight to him and would have entered the house, but Welch was so startled that he slammed the door in the deer's face.
 1.-The deer then went to window and looked appealingly through. The ami mal was panting heavily and was plain ly very tired, but the door was not opened for it to enter, and it departed.
 ..From Welch's place the doe went to Melvin Carley's, about half a mile away Carley was sitting in his kitchen, and, hearing a noise, looked up and saw the deer standing a a wind low, rubbing the pane with it's nose and looking longing ly in at Carley, who, being an experi- enced hunter, knew at once that the deer was fleeing from dogs or hunters.
 '.He went out, and the deer followed him, or rather walked close by his side
  Once in the barn the deer lay down, so nearly run to death had it been. It had been shot in the back and on the leg.
 Carley fed the deer and doctored it's wounds, and when it was sound and well again he offered it it's liberty. but the grateful beast refused to take it, and it is still in Carley's possession, although it's rescue occurred two years ago. As 1t was a violation of the game law to have deer in his possession, Carley had to get a special permit from the game protector to give the shelter to the deer that the deer insisted on having.
 "I know of an instance in which a fawn, pursued by dogs, ran into farm house and jumped into the lap of the farmers wife, who was pairing apples in the kitchen. That lawn remained on the farm and became such a pet that when she disappeared one fall there was great lamentation in the family and good reward was offered for her recovery.
 '.As no trace of her could be found, it was at last concluded that she had been killed by some ruthless person. But this was not the case, for the doe reappeared one day in the following spring with a pretty little spotted fawn by her side, and there was great re- joicing.
 'The lawn was a buck lawn, and along in the next summer it went away and never came back. The doe, how ever, never left the farm again, and died on it. at good age"