DEE I*. 



state of semi-domestication ; and where there is cover 

 in the neighbourhood, they often escape in such 

 numbers as to become an annoyance to the farmers. 



The flesh of the fallow deer is understood to be 

 more delicate and juicy than that of either of the 

 wild sorts in this country ; and it is in consequence 

 in high request as a luxury. The animals them- 

 selves, though destitute pf the grandeur of the stag 

 and the gracefulness of the roebiujjf, are very orna- 

 mental in parks ; and where undisturbed, they are 

 very tame and gentle throughout the greater part of 

 the year, and not nearly so formidable in the rutting 

 season as stags. The sound of their voice is low as 

 compared with that of the others, an4 it gets the 

 technical name of groaning. Bucks when b,unted do 

 not take the country in breadth as the stags do, but 

 run in circles, and very frequently take the water, 

 though they are not such bold swimmers as the stag. 

 The chase of them, both from the grounds they fre- 

 quent and from their own characters, is not so strik- 

 ingly effective as that of the stag, but it requires more 

 care, as they are apt to throw out the hounds and 

 leave them at fault. 



Though the existing fallow deer appears to be a 

 native of the south, at least of the south of Europe, 

 though certainly not of tropical countries, yet the 

 large deer, of which the remains are found in the fresh 

 water deposits, are usually referred to this species, or 

 at least to one resembling it, on account chiefly of 

 the form of the horns ; and it is a little puzzling 

 that the fallow deer which appears to have a more 

 southerly habitation than the stag, should have pal- 

 mated horns, approaching more nearly to the charac- 

 ter of those of the polar deer than those of the stag 

 do ; but, as is the cuse with all animals which have 

 been very long in a state of total or partial domestication, 

 and which accompanied men in their migrations from 

 country to country, it is by no means easy to ascer- 

 tain whether the fallow deer has degenerated in size 

 from the fossil specimens, or whether its horns may 

 not have altered their character from being simply 

 forked as most of those of the deer in warm coun- 

 tries are, to that palmated form of the upper parts of 

 the beams which they now display. 



The ROEBUCK (Cervus caprcolus). This is the 

 most light and handsome of all our deer ; and in some 

 respects it approaches the antelopes, the ancients 

 giving it and some of the species of that genus indis- 

 criminately the name of Dorcas, that is " bright eye ; " 

 no lachrymal sinuses, scarcely any tail, the colour a 

 greyish yellow, varying more to reddish or brownish, 

 but always with a large white disc on the buttocks. 

 The horns are rather small and cylindrical, with a 

 small antler on the middle of the beam pointing for- 

 ward, and a second one higher up and turned to the 

 rear. The roebuck is pretty generally distributed, 

 being found in all the temperate parts or Europe and 

 Asia, and even it is said in India, though there it has 

 been confounded with some of the Indian species 

 which resemble it a good deal in the forms of their 

 horns. This is the smallest species in Europe, not 

 exceeding four feet in length, and standing about 

 two feet high at the shoulders. There are coloured 

 varieties, one very red, and another yellowish brown, 

 yad a third nearly black ; but they all have the cha- 

 racteristic white disc, at least in the winter, and the 

 luil is never more than an inch in length. Their sum- 

 mer and winter clothing differ a little both in colour 

 and in texture. In winter the fur is completely soft 



and tinged with grey on the neck and head, and the 

 disc is much less conspicuous ; but in winter the hair 

 thickens and hardens, and the colour deepens, espe- 

 cially on the upper part. 



The manners of the roebuck are different from 

 those of the species hitherto described. They are 

 not gregarious, and therefore do not make the same 

 appearance in proportion to their number as the 

 deer. The male is also monoganous, and remains 

 attached to one female for life, the two keeping 

 company, or at least being near to each other all 

 the year round, and the rutting season not being 

 accompanied with that violent excitement which takes 

 place in the others, more especially in the stag. 



The period of gestation is also different, and so is 

 the time of shedding the horns in the male. Rutting 

 time is in the beginning of November, and the female 

 goes little more than five months, while the fallow 

 deer goes eight months, and the hind a little more. 

 The pairing is thus about two months later than in 

 the others, and the fawns are dropped about two 

 weeks earlier. The male also sheds his horns soon 

 after the rutting time, and acquires the new ones 

 during the winter, so that he is in his apparel for a 

 much longer period of the year than either the hart 

 or the fallow buck. 



The doe drops two fawns, for which purpose she 

 retires into the closest cover that she can obtain, but 

 at the end of about two weeks she makes her appear- 

 ance with them in company ; but she hides them if 

 danger appears, and shows considerable address in 

 enticing enemies away from the place of their con- 

 cealment. They are generally, if not invariably, a 

 male and female, which continue with their parents 

 during the summer ; but previous to the rutting time 

 they are driven off' to shift for themselves, and to keep 

 company with each other for life, which is from about 

 twelve to fifteen years, if no casualties occur ; but as 

 roebucks prefer the open hill to the shelter of the 

 forest, many of them perish in severe winters. 



They are much more destructive to young planta- 

 tions than either the stag or the fallow deer, as they 

 prefer the tender twigs and buds of these to grass ; 

 but they are lively and vigorous creatures ; and few 

 sights are finer than that of a roebuck bounding 

 among bushes, or up a hill side among tall heather. 

 This plant is often as tall as himself, so that when he 

 alights he is concealed, but at every bound he rises 

 to some height clear of it, and puts one in mind of 

 what is stated pf the antelopes in the coppices of 

 Southern Africa. The roebuck leaves a strong scent ; 

 and therefore he is more easily found than the stag, 

 where stags are not numerous ; but he is not more 

 easily caught. As the stag runs out, he is sure to 

 fatigue himself ; and though he recovers if he can 

 reach the water, and makes a formidable resistance 

 when he stands at bay, yet, if the dogs are staunch, 

 and the ground practicable, he is almost sure to be 

 taken ; the roebuck on the other hand shows artifice : 

 he dashes off at first, but if pursued he doubles, 

 bounds sideways to some cover with immense leaps, 

 and With the velocity of a bird, and couches down till 

 the chase pass him, and then, bounding from his cover, 

 he is off in another direction. The same roebuck has 

 been known to be hunted through several counties ; 

 and of these one is mentioned by the late Mr. Bewick 

 of Newcastle. It had been hunted out of Scotland 

 through Cumberland and various parts of the north 

 of England, and at last took shelter in the copses on 



