WA YS OF RED DEER. 101 



These great distances covered with snow are 

 desolate in the extreme — white distances 

 beneath and grey sky over. The deer know 

 when the snow is coming — they leave the 

 hills and descend into the coombes, and lie 

 there ' under the wind,' as the Exmoor 

 phrase is. The shepherds seeing them come 

 down recognise it as a sign that snow is 

 approaching. Snow tries them while it lasts, 

 and is an enemy as it thaws, for in thawing 

 snow the scent holds so well and is so good 

 that the hounds run it quick as fire racing 

 over the dry heather. 



