2i8 STAG-HUNTING 



between the scarecrow and the " lord of the creation," ever alert 

 to his own interest. 



But roe-deer dread nothing so much as the unnatural, and 

 have such fear of being " taken-in," that a bit of newspaper, about 

 4 in. square tied round the buds at the top of the leading shoot 

 of a conifer, Fig. 124, acts as a very simple and efficient protec- 

 tion. This, to be effective, must be done in autumn, and will 

 usually remain attached like a collar at the base of the new growth 

 till the following autumn, when the procedure must be repeated, 

 and each autumn succeeding until the plants have outgrown 

 danger of damage. 



Another method of warding off attacks of deer consists in coat- 

 ing the top shoots of young trees with an offensive pigment, such 

 as a mixture of four parts fresh cow-dung, one part coal-tar or 

 slaked lime, and just enough urine to admit of working the whole 

 into a paste, which may be laid on with a wooden spud. Or the 

 proprietary article called Smearoleum No. I (Thomas & Co., Ltd., 

 Ceres Works, Liverpool), which is handy and effective, may be 

 used safely on both the leading shoots and also stems liable to 

 be barked. This, of course, has to be repeated every autumn, 

 and if commenced early enough and continued long enough, there 

 is no danger of the plants losing their leading growths or of the 

 stems being barked by deer. 



STAG-HUNTING. To the keeping of deer in enclosures no objection 

 is taken by the general public other than that in the case of deer- 

 forests occupying thousands, and deer-parks hundreds, of acres, 

 some, 1 if not all, of the land could be put to other purposes of 

 greater service to the nation. But not a few persons declaim 

 against stag-hunting on the ground of its cruelty, insisting that 

 the hinds and dis-antlered stags used in the chase are practically 

 domestic creatures, defenceless, and strangers to the district on 

 which they are turned : therefore, flee through fear of hounds, 

 are overtaken quickly, mangled, soon exhausted, or perchance 

 the hunt staff be "up," given another chance, not of escape but 

 of being chased, and often resulting in the deer seeking refuge 

 in sheds, yards, and houses. Thus captured, " doctored," and 

 carted off, the animal may be good for another day, for hunting 

 several times each season, and for affording sport during ten years 

 in some cases. Albeit, not many people at the meet see the run, 

 and fewer the finish of the chase, therefore are unacquainted with 

 the cruelties that come in in the course of the hunt : and these, 

 the eye-witnesses protest, are not of a nature to cause a feeling 

 of horror in other than fireside humanitarians. 



1 According to the Report of the Deer Forest Commission, 1892, nearly 

 3,000,000 acres of land suitable for small holdings are available. 



