THK STAG, OR RED DKER. Ml'. 



la winter it sum* \\ith it- fore-feet, BOM to lay bare the scanty vegetation 



below. When alarmed m .-\.ii.-l. it Drives \.-nt t its feeling in a peculiar loud whistling 

 sound, which <>n a <-l.-anpii.-t day may be beard ait the distance of a mil< While mi. -ring thin 

 sound, th.- animal rais-s it.s head in a very i*vnliur manner, and seems to eject the cry by a 



kind of spasmodic j.-rk. The tl.-sh of th. Wapiti is in great favor among hunters, whil<- tln 

 m.m.iu l. ties are prised M great daintie*. Th.- -kin is al-o valuable, IN-III- .ni|.l..\.-.| in tin- 

 manufacture of moccasin-. >>eli-. thniiir-. and other articles \\here -tieiiirth ami ll.-xil-ilit \ are 

 required. Th- t.-eth an- cinplnxcd b\ tin- Indian- in d.-coratiiii: their dn-ss-s. and it robe thus 

 adoiii'-d, \vhich is in the |K> --si.m of Mr. Audnlion. was \alned by it- manufacturers as 

 eqtmal.-nt to tuiits horses. The horns are als<i employ. -d for various useful purposes. It is 

 a remarkable fact, ili.it in n< . I .. in<liv idual- ai.- t IK II..MI- pr.-.-i-.'l\ alik.-. 



Thegwnus Crrma in reprwiented in South Ann-rim by nine species, and by about ili' -;ini.' 

 iiiMnt'.-r in North Ann-rica. 



lh.> \\api inadtruis) is the largest of the the Deer, save the Moose. This 



animal has l>onn- th.- d. -situation Klk, and tli.-n-ny is oft-n niistak.-n for th.- M<x>s> of Knii>i)e. 

 Am-'liiM!! li.iHiraii-t- h:i\-- pl.'f.-i r.-d to u-.- tli.' t.-ini \\'ai'iti. :i- ap|'li--d l-\ ill-- :iloi i^in---. 



As lat.- a- 1M-J tliis nolil.- U-a-t a.s found in New York State. In the northwestern 

 coiintu-s of r.-nnsylvania it wa- .oininnii until lately. 



Tin- \Vaj.iti i- inon- n.-arly allied t4> the Red Deer, or Stag of Europe. It is larger and 

 mon- itnjM'sini: than th.- latt-r. It was oil"- \-iy iil.-ly di.stribut-<l ; itM range extending 

 from .M-iMti t<> ocean, and reaching as far north as latitnd.- tifty-s>-v.-n. 



THK STAO, or HKI> li i i:. i- s-pivad over many parts of Europe and Aia, and is indigenous 

 to th.> Hritish I-lands, when- it >till linp-rs, though in vastly reduced numbers. 



In the olden days of chivalry and Robin Hood, the Red Deer were plentiful in every 

 forest; and especially in that .s\ Ivan rhae whirh was made by the exercise of royal tyranny 

 at the expense of such sorrow and suffering. Even in the New Forest itself the Red Deer is 

 -Mom seen, and those few survivors that still serve as relics of a bygone age, are scarcely to 

 l*> m-kon.-d as living in a wild stat.-. and approach nearly to the semi-domesticated condition 

 of the Fallow Deer. Many of these splendid animals are preserved in {Mirks or paddocks, 

 but they no more room the wide forests in unquestioned freedom. In Scotland, however, 

 thf K-d IWr ar> still to 1- found, as ran In- t-stinVd by many a keen hunter of the present 

 day, who has had his strength, rnift, and coolness thoroughly tested before he could lay 

 low in the dust the magnificent animal, whose head with its fon-st of horns now graces his 

 residence 



Formerly the Stag was placed under the protection of the severest penalties, ito slaughter 

 being visited with capital punishment on the offender if he could be known and arrested. 

 Indeed, a man who murdered his fellow might hope to escape retribution except by the 

 avenging hand of some relation of the slain man, but if he were 'infortunate or daring enough 

 to dip his hands in the blood of a Stag, he could hope for no m.-n-y if he were detected in the 

 offence. 



All the ancient works on hunting are filled with the praises of the Stag, which is Mauded 

 with a fluency of language and a fertility of expression that throw tin- modern sporting termi- 

 nology completely into the shade. Every minute particular concerning the Stag itself, or the 

 details of hunting, killing, cooking, and serving the animal is graced with its appropriate 

 phrase, and if a gentleman should have perchance misplaced or omitted one of these cere- 

 monious appellations, he would have been held in very low esteem by his compeers. 



Although the Stag has been several times partially domesticated and trained to run in 

 harness, it is a very capricious animal, and not a very safe sen-ant. Alxmt the month of 

 August the Stag always becomes very much excited, as that is the time when he seek- In- 

 mate, and during a space of three or four weeks the animal is testy and irritable in tempT, 

 and prone to attack with a kind of blind rage every other animal except a female of his own 

 species. Comparatively tame Stags become dangerous at such a season, and have frequently 

 lulled those human beings to whom they were formerly attached. The sad death of a 



