84 DEER-STALKING. CH. XXV. 



old roe. A moment after a pair of young roe 

 walked quietly out of some concealed hollow, and 

 after gazing about a short time and having a game 

 of romps on the top of a hillock, were joined by 

 their mother, and then all three came into the 

 woods at the foot of the craig where I was sitting. 

 The grouse were calling to each other in all direc- 

 tions, and every now and then an old cock-bird 

 would take a short fly, crowing, to some stone or 

 hillock, where he stood and sunned himself. I 

 was struck just then by the curious proceedings 

 of a mountain-hare, who had been feeding about 

 two hundred yards from me ; she suddenly began 

 to show symptoms of uneasiness and fear, taking 

 short runs and then stopping, and turning her 

 ears towards the hillside behind her. I soon saw 

 the cause of her alarm in a beautiful marten cat : 

 the latter, however, having probably already made 

 her morning meal, took little notice of the hare, 

 but came with quiet leaps straight towards me. 

 As I was well concealed amongst the gray frag- 

 ments of rock which covered the top of the craig, 

 and which were exactly the same colour as the 

 clothes I was dressed in, the little animal did 

 not see me. When about thirty yards off she 

 suddenly stopped and looked in my direction, 

 having evidently become aware, through some 



