Also known as the black-tailed man deer, this unique species rarely allows itself to be photographed. In this case, I had to pay the animal a sum of four dollars.

The antlered mammal is seen in its natural habitat of highly flammable chaparral on the edge of Cool Cricket Meadow. Minutes later, ashes from my own cigar started a brisk fire which burned the area and several surrounding acres to a blackened crisp.

As a noted environmentalist, I champion fire as a necessary part of the chaparral ecosystem. And there was a lot of lightning that day anyway.