ROE DEER 135 



Roe deer are not maintained for their sporting 

 value, but more commonly are permitted to remain 

 on an estate for their beauty alone. They are beau- 

 tiful little creatures, but amongst the most destruc- 

 tive of animals. They will tear the bark off young 

 saplings, and eat the tops off young plants, in a 

 spirit apparently of pure wantonness. The amount 

 of damage half a dozen roe will commit in a short 

 space of time in a locality is almost incredible. 



In 1916, in the vicinity of Edinburgh, we experi- 

 enced a very open February and early part of March. 

 Labour being short, I took advantage of an oppor- 

 tunity which offered of getting the work done, and 

 had some 5,000 spruce put out in an old open wood. 

 A heavy snowfall took place two days later, and at 

 the end of a fortnight from the fall the greater part 

 of the spruce had lost their tops from roe deer. 

 Before the third week all the spruce had been so 

 eaten down by roe deer that scarcely a score sur- 

 vived. Most of the damage done was wanton 

 destruction, for very little was actually eaten. 

 There were only three of the deer. 



It is impossible to fence against roe deer. The 

 expense of high fencing would be unjustifiable, and 

 nothing else would be any good. They travel over 

 considerable distances in their particular areas, and 

 the only way to deal with them in areas to be utilized 

 for afforestation purposes will be to shoot them down. 

 Thedamage they commit is out of all proportion to any 

 value they may possess, either pecuniary or artistic. 



The preceding remarks are not intended to convey 

 the idea that the sport of deer shooting must dis- 



