476 ON GENERATION. 



stand upon an acclivity, whither they compel their females to 

 come in turn. The female that is to he leapt stands with her 

 hind feet in the trench prepared for the purpose, stooping or 

 lowering her haunches somewhat, if need be ; by which the 

 male is enabled, pressing forward upon her in the same way as 

 a bull, to strike her, in technical language, and finish the 

 business of copulation at one assault. 



Old and sturdy bucks have a considerable number of does 

 in their herds, as many as ten, and even fifteen ; younger and 

 weaker males have fewer. Keepers say that the doe is sated 

 with two, or at most with three leaps ; once she has conceived 

 she admits the male no more. 



The lust of the male cools when he has served his females ; 

 he becomes shyer, and much leaner; he deserts his herd and 

 roams alone, and feeds greedily to repair his wasted strength, 

 nor does he afterwards approach a female for a whole year. 



When the male is capable of intercourse the hair on his 

 throat and neck grows black, and the extremity of the prepuce 

 becomes of the same colour, and stinks abominably. The 

 females take the male but rarely, and only in the night or in 

 dusky places, which are, therefore, always chosen by the males 

 for their connubial pleasures. When two stags engage in 

 battle, as frequently happens, the vanquished yields possession 

 of his females to the victor. 



EXERCISE THE SIXTY-SEVENTH. 



Of the constitution or change that takes place in the uterus of 

 the deer in the course of the month of September. 



We now come to the changes that take place in the genital 

 parts of the female after intercourse, and to the conception itself. 

 In the month of September, then, when the female deer first 

 comes in season, her cornua uteri, uterus, or place of concep- 

 tion, grows somewhat more fleshy and thick, softer also, and 

 more tender. In the interior of either cornu, at that part, 

 namely, which looks drawn together by a band, and is turned 

 towards the spine, we observe, protruding in regular succes- 



