102 PROTECTION AGAINST ANIMALS. 



and prefer a sappy bark developed in the light. The stag 

 does the most damage in this way. The bark may be removed 

 from all round the stem, or in strips. The former is much 

 more hurtful, but is rare. Strip-peeling may be done on both 

 sides of stems, but usually in spruce only on one side, the 

 west and east sides being preferred. In the case of the oak 

 and beech, the bark is often stripped-off in patches one above 

 the other, as shown in Fig. 22. 



The bark may be peeled in winter or summer, in the former 

 case from absolute hunger. In the latter case, the deer bite 



Fig. 25. Transverse section of a spruce-stem peeled in summer (reduced). 



through the strip of bark from below, hold it with their teeth, 

 and then, walking backwards, and raising the head, strip it off 

 in long pieces, which cause serious wounds in the tree. Their 

 length may be 6 feet, and breadth from 2 to 6 inches, and 

 they may reach down to the roots, but generally stop at about 

 2 feet above them. 



Winter-peeling is generally less serious, the deer gnawing 

 off and eating pieces of the outer bark, leaving the bast and 

 part of the bark between the bared strips. When deep snow 

 is on the ground these wounds may be pretty high up the 

 stem. 



Peeling is generally done in the morning after the deer have 

 eaten a meal, and after rain, which softens the bark. 



