30 RED DEER. 



of the coombe (a mile is nothing), and so get 

 the wind to blow from them. Their scent 

 is so quick that to approach down the wind 

 is useless ; they would scent me and be up 

 and away long before I could get near. 

 The hollow of the coombe carries the wind 

 somewhat aslant just there from its general 

 direction like a tube, else I think they would 

 have scented me as it is. 



As I start to go round the head of 

 the coombe, suddenly some one whistles 

 loudly, evidently as a signal to a friend, 

 two loud notes ; it is very annoying. The 

 hinds will be off alarmed ; I am sur- 

 prised that they remain quiet ; another 

 whistle, and a bird, like a large peewit, but 

 with pointed wings, crosses the coombe, 

 rolling from side to side as it Hies. It is a 

 curlew — his whistle exactly resembled that 

 of a man, but the deer were not deceived. 

 On the moors curlew is locally pronounced 

 almost without a vowel between the c and 

 the r, and the lew as loo — cr-loo, the accent 



