Gilpin observer., 1902-03-20
FORGET FEAR OF MAN
DEER KNOWN TO SEEK PRoTEc-
TION At FARM HOUSES.
Two Remarkable Instances That Ars
vouchsd for-One Animal Diaplaysd
Intelligence That was Almost Human
Gratitude of = Fawn.

SoAC tAAnc o6O, bdlu = sullivan
county citizen. "the Sun published an
item about young deer. pursued by
dogs, that bounded into Maine vii
lage and virtually sought protection
of boy in the street. That might
seem to be an amazing story, but to
any one who has lived where wild deer
abound and has observed their nature
1t is an incident by no means uncom-
mon
Every woodman knows that al
though the wild deer is the most timid
OF animals and breads intensely the
sight or scent of man, the female deer.
when wounded and pressed by hunter
or hound. or when pressed closely and
as yet unhurt, will seek the protection
of human beings or their habitations.
Buck fawns will also seek such pro-
lection. but no buck that has come to
the dignity of horns will show such q
disposition; at least none to my
knowledge has ever done so.
The strange part of this disposition
on the part Of does and fawns is that
they plainly ask for the protection.
they seek. The most striking instance
of this ever knew was that of the
splendid doe that sought refuge from
danger at the hamlet of Cooley, in Sui
Ivan county.
"A. G. Welch of that place, was eat
Ing his supper when he saw the doe
come bounding from the woods into
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 slam
med the door in the deer's face.
The deer then went to a ,,indow
and looked appealingly through. The
animal was painting heavily, and was
plainly very tired, but the door was
not opened for it to enter, and it de-
parted.
From Welch's place the doe went
to Melvin Carley's, about half mile
away. Carley was sitting in his kitch-
en-. and hearing noise, looked up an
saw the deer standing at window,
rubbing the pane with it's nose, and
looking longingly in at CAREY. who.
being an experienced 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 to the barn, where he locked it up.
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
its wounds. and when it. was sound and
we'll again he offered it its liberty,
but the grateful beast refused to take
it, and is still in Carley's possession,
although its rescue occurred two years
ago.
Il 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 peeling apples
in the kitchen. That fawn remained
on the farm and became such a pet
that when she disappeared one fall
there was great lamentation in the
family and a good reward was offered
for her recovery.
LAS 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 fawn was a buck fawn and
along in the next summer 1t went
away and never came back. The doe
however, never left the farm again.
and died on it. at good old age
New York Sun.