ANTLER AND FERN. 63 



the rules of venerv, ancient and modern, the 

 young of the fallow deer are fawns, those of 

 the tall red deer are called calves. Upon the 

 moors the ferns grow principally towards 

 coombes and covers, more so than among the 

 heather ; and these coombes, with water and 

 shade, are the favourite haunts of the deer. 



Every wall they climb over is covered 

 with fern in summer. These walls are made of 

 loose flat stones, between the joints of which 

 the pennywort leaves come forth and send up 

 a stalk to bear the flowers — the leaves are 

 round like green pennies. Though less 

 conspicuous the pennyworts are almost as 

 numerous as the ferns, and the two are often 

 crushed under the deer's hoofs, or slot. It 

 is the hinds who climb the w r alls ; the stags 

 leap to the top, which is always broad, and 

 then down the other side. Hinds get their 

 forefeet — it is inconvenient to write slot 

 always — on the top of the wall, and their 

 hind hoofs dig into the earth and loose 

 stone, making a sort of step. 



