2*28 ARTIFICES OF ANIMALS. 



animals; anj that, if ever this sentinel is found sleeping, his 

 companions instantly tear him in pieces for his neglect of duty 

 For the same purpose, when a troop of monkeys are commit- 

 ting depredations on the fruits of a garden, a sentinel is placed 

 on an eminence, who, when any person appears, makes a 

 certain chattering noise, which the rest understand to be a sig- 

 nal for retreat, and immediately fly off and make their escape. 



The deer kind are remarkable for the arts they employ in 

 order to deceive the dogs. . With this view the stag often re- 

 turns twice or thrice upon his former steps. He endeavors 

 to raise hinds or younger stags to follow him, and draw off 

 the dogs from the immediate object of their pursuit. If he 

 succeeds in this attempt, he then flies off with redoubled 

 speed, or springs off at a side, and lies down on his belly to 

 conceal himself. When in this situation, if by any means his 

 foot is recovered by the dogs, they pursue him with more ad- 

 vantage, because he<is now considerably fatigued. Their 

 ardor -increases in proportion to his feebleness ; and the scent 

 becomes stronger as he grows warm. From these circum- 

 stances the dogs augment their cries and their speed ; and, 

 though the stag employs more arts of escape than formerly, 

 as his swiftness is diminished, his doublings and artifices be- 

 come gradually less effectual. No other resource is now left 

 him but to fly from the earth which he treads, and go into the 

 waters, in order to cut off the scent from the dogs, when the 

 huntsmen again endeavor to put them on the track of his 

 foot. After taking to the water, the stag is so much exhausted 

 that he is incapable of running much farther, and is soon at 

 bay, or, in other words, turns and defends himself against 

 the hounds. In this situation he often wounds the dogs, and 

 even the huntsmen, by blows with the horns, till one of them 

 cuts his hams to make him fall, and then puts a period to 

 his life. 



The fallow-deer is more delicate, less savage, and ap- 

 proaches nearer to the domestic state than the stag. They 

 associate in herds, which generally keep together. When 

 great numbers are assembled in one park, they commonly 

 form themselves into two distinct troops, which soon become 

 hostile, because they are both ambitious of possessing the 

 same part of the inclosure. Each of these troops has its own 

 chief or leader, who always marches foremost, and he is uni- 

 formly the oldest and strongest of the flock. The others fol- 

 low him ; and the whole draw up in order of battle, to force 

 the other troop, who observe the same conduct, from the best 



