The sun., 1902-11-02
HIPNOTI/ED DEER.
Hunted Creatures That Seem Unable to
Get or a Railroad Track.

HULL. Canada. Oct. 3O.-As a civil engi-
neer in charge of railroad in the Megantic
district was going over his division In a
track car propelled by a gas engine last
week, he saw fine deer ON the track before
him. The car was sent along at full speed
and it caught up with the deer after mile :
race.
For fear Of a smashup the foreman
siackened up as the car came up TO the
frightened creature, and both men shouted
vigorously TO it to clear the track. The
only result was another spurt of speed /,
which the deer kept up until it's feet slipped
through high trestle. Then the deer, a
three-year-old male. was Ipade into veni-
son,
The curious feature of this hunt was the
persistence with which the dear kept to
the track between the rails, instead of
turning aside To the safety, which a bound
or two would have afforded in the bush
The engineer in reporting the occurrence
said that three times last summer he was
obliged to stop his motor car in order to
get deer To leave the line. This report and
the fact that engine drivers say that they
have several times run down moose and deer
racing before them led an enthusiastic
sportsman TO do little investigating on
his own account. From personal experience
and much information received. very in
has been educed.
II is a fact known 70 some children that
II chickens bill is held to the floor to a
chalk line drawn straight before 1t, the
bird becomes fascinated and apparently
unable to withdraw itself from II. So II
appears that when fear ia driving from
behind the two straight shining lines OF
track on the right and left have fascinating &
or hypnotic effect upon deer and that as
long as they are kept moving swiftly they
are unable to turn to either side.
The driver of a fast freight train in the
Gatineau Valley, drove a pair Of deer
twenty-four miles before him in a little
more than an hour lately AT the end Of
their run, one of the deer collapsed and
fell The other stood stupidity staring at
the big engine as 1t stopped, but when the
men descended it jumped away apd escaped
The deadly fascination Of the steel rails
was well exemplified on the Kazubazua
plains In the same region this week, when
a grand pair OF Scotch stag hounds were
seen passing through the open country
from the north driving a deer before them
along the track of the railway.
Without needing the shouts Of the men
AT the station, the hunted thing. which had
evidently come from long distance,
bounded along with some difficulty, fol-
lowing all the curves of the track down
to the Stag Creek bridge, through which
II tripped and WAS then killed bythe hounds.
chased little herd of three deer for some
miles with their handcar, and drove them
right up to an approaching engine. As
the men stopped to lift the machine clear
of the track. the deer slackened their spped,
looking heplessly to right and left as they
ran on, as though afraid to cross the shin
ing rails Thus they allowed the engine
To send them all to dostructi ion.
Probably AT night 1t is the glare of the
powerful headlight that attracts, confuses
and then hvpnotizes the deer into helpless
stiffness. Old engineers are we'll aware
of the hypnotizing effect Of the headlight
OF an engine upon members of the deer
family and will, when possible. stop and
drive the creatures aside.
In the course Of conversation some Of
these men yesterday rected many instances
of running into deer which. when once
their eyes had become fixed upon it, stood
as though paralyzed in the fierce light of
the locomotive. One of them spoke of
having on two occasions actually pushed
deer from before his freight train, the
bewldered creatures having apparently
lost all power Of movement