WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



and exhaused, his bounds become shorter, and he seems 

 to give up the race. In wood, when driven, they invariably 

 keep as much as they can to the closest portions of the 

 cover, and in going from one part to another follow the line 

 where the trees stand nearest to each other, avoiding the 

 more open parts as long as possible. For some unknown 

 reason, as they do it without any apparent cause, such as 

 being hard hunted, or driven by want of food, the roe 

 sometimes take it into their heads to swim across wide 

 pieces of water, and even arms of the sea. I have known 

 roe caught by boatmen in the Cromarty firth, swimming 

 strongly across the entrance of the bay, and making good 

 way against the current of the tide, which runs there with 

 great rapidity. Higher up the same firth, too, roe have been 

 caught when in the act of crossing. When drivenby hounds, 

 I have seen one swim Loch Ness. They are possessed of 

 great cunning in doubling and turning to elude these per- 

 severing enemies. I used to shoot roe to fox-hounds, and 

 one day was much amused by watching an old roebuck, 

 who had been run for some time by three of my dogs. I was 

 lying concealed on a height above him, and saw the poor 

 animal go upon a small mound covered with youngfir-trees. 

 He stood there till the hounds were close on him, though 

 not in view; then taking a great leap at right angles to the 

 course in which he had before been running, he lay flat 

 down with his head on the ground, completely throwing 

 out the hounds, who had to cast about in order to find his 

 track again; when one bitch appearedto be comingstraight 

 upon the buck, he rose quietly up, and crept in a stooping 

 position round the mound, getting behind the dogs. In this 



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