134 RED DEER. 



is paid for each stag " harboured" suc- 

 cessfully. The work commences early in 

 August, when it is usually hot and dry. 

 Towards the end of July the harbourer 

 begins to look round after the stags and 

 notice their whereabouts. They are then 

 fraying, rubbing the velvet off their new 

 horns against the trees. He observes where 

 the signs of fraying first appear, indicating 

 that a full-grown stag is in the neighbour- 

 hood, as the best stags usually fray earliest. 

 They like the soft-barked trees most to 

 fray against, and are particularly fond of 

 willow. The harbourer looks at starting for 

 the willows, and next to these for moun- 

 tain-ashes ; in the Exmoor country the 

 mountain-ash is called the quick -beam. 

 Both willow and quick-beam are frequently 

 stripped of their bark; the stag pushes his 

 head against the tree and rubs his antlers, 

 which are now as hard as ivory, up and 



