192 RED DEER. 



stag at bay, but he thinks that a stag would 

 never of his own volition attack any one. 

 The huntsman has had twenty-seven years' 

 experience of the deer under every circum- 

 stance, and his opinion is therefore of value. 

 A stag defends himself with antler and hoof, 

 striking and kicking (at bay), he never bites ; 

 in this respect deer are like sheep. Stags 

 and hinds live separate, except in the rutting- 

 time ; herds of stags keep together, and herds 

 of hinds. 



At the season when the stags drop their 

 horns the stags separate from each other. 

 Later, when calving, the hinds separate and 

 are seen alone, or but a few together. The 

 seasons on Exmoor seem later than those 

 mentioned by ancient writers on the chase ; 

 the stags do not get their full heads till 

 later. As with other animals, so their ways 

 are local, and these writers doubtless ob- 

 tained their information in places with a 



