themselves from the severer weather, feeding on holm, elder trees, and brambles. The three following months they leave herding, but keep four or five in a company, and venture out to the corners of the forest, where they feed on winter pasture, sometimes making their incursions into the neighbouring corn fields, to feed upon the tender shoots, just as they peep above ground. In April and May they rest in thickets and shady places, and seldom venture forth, unless roused by approaching danger. In September and October their annual ardour returns; and then they leave the thickets, boldly facing every danger, without any certain place for food or harbour. When, by a knowledge of these circumstances, the hunter has found out the residence, and the quality of his game, his next care is to uncouple and cast off his hounds, in the pursuit: these no sooner perceive the timorous animal that flies before them, but they altogether open in full cry, pursuing rather by the scent than the view, encou raging each other to continue the chase, and tracing the flying animal with the most amazing sagacity. The hunters also are not less ardent in their speed on horseback, cheering up the dogs, and directing them where to pursue. On the other hand, the stag, when unharboured, flies at first with the swiftness of the wind, leaving his pursuers several miles in the rear: and at length having gained his former coverts, and no longer hearing the cries of the dogs and men that he had just left behind, he stops, gazes round him, and seems to recover his natural tranquillity. But this calm is of short duration, for his inveterate pursuers slowly and securely trace him along, and he once more hears the approaching destruction from behind. He again, therefore, renews his efforts to escape, and again leaves his pursuers at almost the former distance; but this second effort makes him more feeble than before, and when they come up a second time, he is unable to outstrip them with equal velocity. The poor animal now, therefore, is obliged to have recourse to all his little arts of escape, which sometimes, though but seldom avail him. In proportion as his strength fails him, the ardour of his pursuers is inflamed; he tracks more heavily on the ground, and this increasing the strength of the scent, redoubles the cries of the hounds, and enforces their speed. It is then that the stag seeks for refuge among the herd, and tries every artifice to put off some other head for his own. Sometimes he will send forth some little deer in his stead, in the mean time lying close himself, that the hounds may overshoot him. He will break into one thicket after another to find deer, rousing them, gathering them together, and endeavouring to put them upon the tracks he has made. His old companions, however, with a true spirit of ingratitude, now all forsake and shun him with the most watchful industry, leaving the unhappy creature to take his fate by himself. Thus abandoned of his fellows, he again tries other arts, by doubling and crossing in some hard beaten highway, where the scent is least perceivable. He now also runs against the wind, not only to cool himself, but the better to hear the voice, and judge of the distance of his implacable pursuers. It is now easily perceivable how sorely he is pressed, by his manner of running, which from the bounding easy pace with which he began, is converted into a stiff and short manner of going; his mouth also is black and dry, without foam on it; his tongue hangs out; and the tears, as some say, are seen starting from his eyes. His last refuge, when every other method of safety has failed him, is to take the water, and to attempt an escape by crossing whatever lake or river he happens to approach. While swimming, he takes all possible care to keep in the middle of the stream, lest, by touching the bough of a tree, or the herbage on the banks, he may give scent to the hounds. He is also ever found to swim against the stream; whence the huntsman have made it into a kind of proverb, That he that would his chace find, must up with the river and down with the wind. On this occasion too he will often cover himself under water, so as to show nothing but the tip of his nose. Every resource, and every art being at length exhausted, the poor creature tries the last remains of his strength, by boldly opposing those enemies he can. not escape; he, therefore, faces the dogs and men, threatens with his horns, guards himself on every side, and for some time stands at bay. In this manner, quite desperate, he furiously aims at the first dog or man that approaches; and it often happens that he does not die unrevenged.* At that time, the more prudent, both of the dogs and men, seem willing to avoid him; but the whole pack quickly coming up, he is soon surrounded and brought down, and the huntsman winds a treble mort, as it is called, with his horn. Such is the manner of pursuing this animal in England; but every country has a peculiar method of its own, adapted either to the nature of the climate, or the face of the soil. The ancient manner was very different from that practised at present; they used their dogs only to find out the game, but not to rouse it. Hence they were not curious as to the music of their hounds, or the composition of their pack; the dog that opened before he had discovered his game, was held in no estimation. It was their usual manner silently to find out the animal's retreat, and surround it with nets and engines, then to drive him up with all their cries, and thus force him into the toils which they had previously prepared. There are very few varieties in the red deer of this country; and they are mostly found of the same size and colour. But it is otherwise in different parts of the world, where they are seen to differ in form, in size, in horns and in colour.† Although there are but few individuals of the deer kind, yet the race seems diffused over all parts of the earth. The new continent of America, in which neither the sheep, the goat, nor the gazelle, has been originally bred, nevertheless produces stags, and other animals of the deer kind, in sufficient plenty. The Mexicans have a breed of white stags in their parks, which they call stags royal.(g) The stags of Canada differ from ours in nothing except the size of the horns, which in * A wound from a stag's horn was deemed poisonous by our ancestors, as the old rhyme testifies If thou be hurt with hart, it brings thee to thy bier, But barber's hand will boar's hurt heal, thereof thou needst not fear. now morass or peat bog, or cleared and under tillage, was covered with forest, deer were abundant in most parts of Scotland. There were then probably a variety which is now extinct, for, in some of the bogs, horns are found of a larger dimension than any that are to be seen upon the present fallow-deer, or the red deer of the mountains. The red deer are now far from numerous, and are seldom, if ever, seen on the Grampians. This has, no doubt, arisen from the grazing of sheep and cattle, by which the seclusion the red deer are so fond of has been broken in upon, both in the mountains and in the valleys. As the more lucrative occupation of the soil extends into the remoter districts, the race must further and further decrease; nor is the period at which they will be wholly extinct, in all probability, very distant. Red deer are yet found in Mar Forest and Glenartney; and there are still a considerable number in Ross-shire; (g) Buffon, vol. xii. p. 35. + PRESENT STATE OF RED DEER IN GREAT BRITAIN.-The quantity of deer in Great Britain has, of course, diminished with progress of agricultural improvement. During the last century numerous forests were inclosed in England, which were formerly filled with red and fallow-deer, and roe-bucks; which, existing in an almost wild state, tempted those who lived within their range to a constant life of depredation. What the deer stealers of the old times were, are the poachers now; and the temptation in either case, presents a fearful cause of crime and misery. There can be little doubt, that at one period of its history, probably when the surface, which is 11 & 12 them is greater; and the direction of the antlers, which rather turn back, than project forward, as in those of Europe. The same difference of size that obtains among our stags, is also to be seen in that country; and, as we are informed by Ruysch, the Americans have brought them into the same state of domestic tameness that we have our sheep, goats, or black cattle. They send them forth in the day-time to feed in the forests; and at night they return home with the herdsmen who guard them. The inhabitants have no other milk but what the hind produces; and use no other cheese but what is made from thence. In this manner we find, that an animal which seems made only for man's amusement, may be easily brought to supply his necessities. Nature has many stores of happiness and plenty in reserve, which only want the call of industry to be produced, and now remain as candidates for human approbation. though the extensive and judicious improvements, which have recently been effected under the Duke of Sutherland, have tended to their diminution. Now, unless by a person whom long observation has rendered familiar with their haunts, the country may be traversed without seeing even one. From their fleetness and the nature of the ground on which they are found, horses and hounds are of no use in the direct chase of them, as the steed would be required to leap precipices of fifty feet, instead of five-barred gates; and the dogs would be constantly tumbling into gullies and ravines, which are cleared by the deer at one bound. They cannot be driven "with hound and horn," as was the case in the days of the "barons bold ;" neither can they be collected and hemmed in, after the somewhat similar manner in which the Highland chiefs conducted their sports, as quoted in a former note. Still there are a few places where a person who has been habituated to the occupation, and who does not fear to ground himself in a morass, and will submit to the other pleasures of "stalking," may occasionally find a roe. The most certain time is when the state of the weather is such as to force the herds to the well-heads, where there is brushwood near to cover the marksman. The largest forest set apart for red deer which exists in Scotland, is the forest of Athol, where a hundred thousand English acres are given up to them; and upon this large track, neither man, woman, child, nor oxen, are allowed to trespass, with the exception of those parties who are permitted to partake of the mysteries of deer-stalking. The sportsmen, seldom more than two in each party, set forth accompanied by a keeper who acts as general; and they are followed by two or three Highlanders, carrying spare rifles, and leading the deer-hounds. The party is preceded by the keeper, who is about twenty or thirty yards in advance, attentively examining the face of every hill with his telescope, to discover the deer that may be grazing upon it. Upon detecting a hero, a counsel of war is held, and the plan of operations determined upon. It is necessary to proceed with much cau tion, as, independant of the strong sense of smelling, seeing, and hearing, which these animals are endued with, there is always one of the herd stationed as sentinel. It frequently happens that a circuit of some miles is required to be made to get near them undetected. Having arrived as near as possible, the sportsmen, still concealed, fire, and continue firing and loading, as long as they remain within practicable distance. Eleven out of a herd of fifteen have been known to be killed by one person; the accidental circumstance of an echo, the wind being heard on one side, and the flash seen on the other, so puzzled the deer, that they stood still, till the four last gathered courage and made off. When wounded, large hounds, of a breed between the grey-hound and the blood-hound, are let loose upon the tract of their blood, and they never leave it till they have brought the animal to bay. This is, of all European sports, the most noble and interesting, as any person who has tried and understands it will testify, heightened as it is by the beauty and wildness of the mountain scenery, the pure and invigora ting effect of the air, the picturesque dress and appearance of the Highlanders, and the eager interest they take in a pursuit, so peculiar to their native hills, and so congenial to their habits. Wapeti. THE FALLOW DEER.-No two animals can be more nearly allied than the stag and the fallow-deer. (g)* In Fallow-Deer. although with the same habitudes, yet retain an unalterable aversion. The fallow-deer, as they are much smaller, so they seem of a nature less robust, and less savage than those of the stag kind. They are found but rarely wild in the forests; they are, in general, bred up in parks, and kept for the purposes of hunting, or of luxury, their flesh being prefered to that of any other animal. It need scarce be mentioned, that the horns of the buck make its principal distinction, being broad and palmated; whereas those of the stag are in every part round. In the one, they are flatted and spread like the palm of the hand; in the other they grow like a tree, every branch being of the shape of the stem that bears it. The fallow-deer also has the tail longer, and the hair lighter than the stag; in other respects, they pretty nearly resemble one another. The head of the buck, as of all other animals of this kind, is shed every year, and takes the usual time for repairing. The only difference between it and the stag is, that this change happens later in the buck; and its rutting time, consequently falls more into the winter. It is not found so furious at this season as the former; nor does it so much exhaust itself by the violence of its ardour. It does not quit its natural pastures in quest of the female, nor does it attack other animals with indiscriminate ferocity: however, the males combat for the female among each other; and it is not without many contests, that one buck is seen to become master of the whole herd, It often happens also, that a herd of fallow-deer is seen to divide into two parties, and engage each other with great ardour and obstinacy.(g) They both seem desirous of gaining some favourite spot of the park for pasture, and of driving the vanquished party into the coarser and more disagreeable parts. Each of these factions has its particular chief; namely, the two oldest and THE WAPETI.-This is a stag of North America, and resembles the common stag in nearly all his proportions, but his size far superior, being at the shoulder from four feet four, to four feet eight inches; the superiority of bulk being chiefly in the magnitude of body. In the mountainous parts of Hircania, Russia, and Siberia, is found a species of deer something larger than the roe-buck. The colour is brown, with the outsides of the limbs, and under parts of the body yellowish. It has no tail, but a mere broadish excrescence. *THE FALLOW-DEER, is smaller than the stag; of a brownish bay colour; whitish beneath, on the insides of the limbs, and beneath the tail. The horns which are peculiar to the male, are very different from those of the stag; they are not properly branched, but are broader towards the upper part, and divided into processes down the outside. A simple antler rises from the base of each, and a similar one at some distance from the first. strongest of the herd. These lead on to the engagement; and the rest follow under their direction. These combats are singular enough, from the disposition and conduct which seems to regulate their mutual efforts. They attack with order, and support the assault with courage; they come to each other's assistance, they retire, they rally, and never give up the victory upon a single defeat. The combat is renewed for several days together; until at length the most feeble side is obliged to give way, and is content to escape to the most disagreeable part of the park, where only they can find safety and protection. The fallow-deer is easily tamed, and feeds upon many things which the stag refuses. By this means it preserves its venison better; and even after rutting, it does not appear entirely exhausted. It continues almost in the same state through the whole year, although there are particular seasons when its flesh is chiefly in esteem. This animal also browzes closer than the stag; for which reason it is more prejudicial among young trees, which it often strips too close for recovery. The young deer eat much faster and more greedily than the old; they seek the female at their second year, and, like the stag, are fond of variety. The doe goes with young above eight months, like the hind; and commonly brings forth one at a time: but they differ in this, that the buck comes to perfection at three, and lives till sixteen; whereas the stag does not come to perfection till seven, and lives till forty.* The manner of hunting the buck is pretty much the same as that of stag hunting, except that less skill is required in the latter. The buck is more easily roused; it is sufficient to judge by the view, and mark what grove or covert it enters, as it is not known to wander far from thence; nor, like the stag, to change his layer, or place of repose. When hard hunted, it takes to some strong hold or covert with which it is acquainted, in the more gloomy parts of the wood, or the steeps of the mountain; not like the stag, flying far before the hounds, nor crossing nor doubling, nor using any of the subtleties which the stag is accustomed to. It will take the water when sorely pressed, but seldom a great river; nor can it swim so long, nor so swiftly as the former. In general, the strength, the cunning and the courage of this animal, are inferior to those of the stag; and, consequently, it affords, neither so long, so various, nor so obstinate a chase: besides, being lighter, and not tracking so deeply, it leaves a less powerful and lasting scent, and the dogs in the pursuit are more frequently at a fault. As the buck is a more delicate animal than the stag, so also is it subject to greater varieties.(g) We have in England two varieties of the fallow-deer, which are said to be of foreign origin. The beautiful spotted kind, which is supposed to *PECULIAR PROVISION OF NATURE. The fallow-deer is known to bring forth from one to three at a time, and lives till about twenty. When these animals drink, they plunge their noses, like some horses, very deep under water, and continue in that situation for some time; "but to obviate any inconveniences," says White, in his Natural History of Selborne, "they can open two vents, one at the inner corner of each eye, which has a communication with the nose. Here seems to be an extraordinary provision of nature, worthy our attention; for it appears as if these creatures would not be suffocated, though both their mouth and nostrils were stopped. This curious formation of the head may be of singular service to beasts of chase, by affording them free respiration; and no doubt these additional nostrils are thrown open when they are hard run." Pennant ob served something analogous to this in the antelope. This animal has a long slit beneath each eye, which can be opened and shut at pleasure. On holding an orange to one, the creature made the same use of these orifices as of his nostrils; applying them to the fruit, and seeming to smell it through them. We may remark on the above, the testimony of Mr. Shaw, fifty years game-keeper and keeper of the Earl of Derby's stags. at Knowsley-park, which goes to contradict this. He maintains that these slits have no communication whatever with the nose, nor is it easy to ascertain for what purpose they are designed. When the animal is irritated, they are opened and distended to the utmost; they are frequently found to contain a mucous discharge, as if the defluxions from the eyes and head were thus carried off.-ED. (g) British Zoology. |