nS RED DEER. 



wood are called the ' tufters,' and are old, 

 staunch, and steady ; drawing the cover is 

 called ' tufting.' At the wood, if the stag 

 has entered up-wind, the huntsman must 

 tuft up-wind — that is, let the hounds go in 

 with the breeze in their faces. If possible, 

 the harbourer takes the huntsman to the 

 actual slot where the stag entered the w T ood, 

 and the hounds, or ' tufters,' are put at once 

 on the trail ; this is ' feathering.' The har- 

 bourer likes to ' feather ' — to set the hounds 

 direct on the trail. 



When that is difficult the tufters work 

 the wood up the wind, which carries the 

 scent of the deer down towards them ; a 

 hound will sometimes throw up his head, 

 having caught the scent, a hundred yards 

 before getting to the place where the stag- 

 is lying. But even when they have the 

 scent the tufting is often only begun. A 

 stag, if he finds that only one or two hounds 

 are approaching his ' bed,' will sometimes 

 refuse to move ; he will face them with his 



