THE DEER TRIBE 



2\1 



The Red I >i i i; 

 Mr. J. G. Mill. iw. author of " British Deer and their Horns" and other works himself a 

 first-rate sportsman in many parts of the world, compares the style of shooting red deer in 

 vogue forty or fifty years ago with that obtaining in the Highlands at the present day. "A 

 stalker in Black .Mount, Argyllshire," he says, "told me of a typical day's sport in which he 

 took part some forty years ago. Fox Maule and Sir Edwin Landseer were the two rifles (they 

 frequently stalked in pairs at that time), and, on the side of Clashven, Peter Robertson, the 

 head forester, brought them within eighty yards of two exceptionally fine stags Maule fired and 

 missed, as did also Sir Edwin as the stags moved away; then, on a signal from Robertson, 



Peter McColl, the gillie, slipped the hounds 

 the two best ever owned by the late Marquis of 

 Breadalbane, and whose portraits are still pre- 

 served in the famous picture of ' The Deer 

 Drive ' - and away they went in hot pursuit 

 of the deer. An end-on chase now ensued, 

 the line taken being due east down the great 

 glen towards Loch Dochart, and at last the 

 stalkers were brought to a standstill, being 

 fairly exhausted both in wind and limb. At 

 this moment, however, four dark spots, like 

 small rocks, standing out at the point of a 

 little promontory in the lake, attracted their 

 attention, and, on drawing nearer, the}* saw, to 

 their surprise, each of the big stags being 

 held at bay by a gallant hound. A couple of 

 shots then settled the business, and so ended 

 what was then considered a grand day's sport. 

 No doubt it was most exciting to see the 

 struggle of bone and sinew between two such 

 noble quadrupeds, but it was not rifle-shooting. 

 To-day the gallant but disturbing deer-hound 

 has given place to the cunning and obedient 

 collie, and the success of the stalker depends, 

 for the most part, on the accuracy of his rifle 

 and his skill in using it." 



Here are a couple of sketches of modern 

 stalking taken from Mr. Millais' own diary: — 

 " Wednesday, October \th. — Started for 

 the big corrie with McColl, and saw nothing 

 till we got to the Eagle Hill. On this were 

 three stags and about twenty hinds, the property of a magnificent fellow carrying one of the 

 best heads I have ever seen on Black Mount. For some time McColl thought he was just 

 a bit too good to shoot, for the very best in this forest are generally left for stock purposes. 

 Finding, however, that he was not Royal [a twelve-pointer], my companion agreed to a shot — 

 that is, if he got within shooting distance, which was not too likely, the Eagle Hill being 

 one of those queer places where back eddies are carried down from almost even- ' airt ' from 

 which the wind is blowing. Luck is apparently entirely my way this week, so far at any rate. 

 The big stag was very ' kittle,' frequently roaring and keeping his hinds moving before him 

 along the hillside, in the direction of another corrie running at right angles, the entrance to 

 which, if reached, would checkmate us. A quick, stiff climb, and a dashing piece of stalking 

 on the part of McColl, brought us in front of the herd only just in time, for I had hardly got 



Pk.u h »'. P. Dmdi] 



AN ASIATIC WAPITI 



All the races of the tvapit't are easily recognisable by the large fourth 

 tine 0/ the antlers and the short tail 



