io2 RED DEER. 



VI. 



TRACKING DEER BY SLOT. 



The red deer come out of the covers to feed 

 at dusk, aud continue feeding all night. At 

 dawn they return to the woods to stay there 

 during the day. A stag generally drinks 

 before entering the cover, and afterwards 

 'soils,' that is, lies down and rolls in the 

 water. They have their regular ' soiling- 

 pits ' — watery places or shallow ponds — 

 which they visit for this purpose. In these 

 they extend themselves and splash and 

 thoroughly enjoy the coolness of the water. 

 All round these soiling-pits there are signs 

 of deer — their slot or footprints ; and as the 

 water is always shallow, the stag often covers 

 his sides with mud, which when he leaves 

 the pond and goes into the wood is rubbed 

 off against the bushes. 



