ROE DEER 127 



judging by their pugs, they were big, and in that 

 cold climate must have very fine skins, but barring 

 a lucky chance, could think of no way of doing 

 so. The country here is just about the bottom of 

 the pine forest level, so that there are other trees 

 and bushes as well, and these make the jungle very 

 thick, while the size of the covers and the nature of 

 the ground preclude the idea of beating, even if 

 men could be got ; also the place swarms with 

 wolves which would be sure to kill any beast tied 

 out for the nobler animal. 



The herds of roe deer usually number from five to 

 ten or twelve animals, with one or two bucks ; but 

 the latter often go alone, or two together, when of 

 course they are easier to stalk. The Siberian roe is 

 much bigger than the European one. A fair buck's 

 horns have six points, i.e. three on each, and 

 should be 15 to 16 inches or more in length; but 

 seven, eight, and occasionally nine pointers occur. 

 The doe's cry of alarm is a shrill bark, while that 

 of the buck is much deeper and more guttural 

 so much so that it might be made by a different 

 animal altogether. As a rule they are on the move 

 morning and evening, but spend the day lying down, 

 either in the forest, or at this season of the year 

 under the shadow of the trees at the edge of it, and 

 they seem to prefer being on the snow, for I hardly 

 ever saw them lying on the bare patches. Though 

 we saw some four or five herds this day, it must not 



