74 GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



afford a pleasant variety to the bag in winter covert- 

 shooting, they also provide a delightful amusement 

 to the sportsman who is content to do a little quiet 

 stalking along the edge of the coverts on a summer 

 evening ; and lastly, they are delicious eating, when 

 properly cooked. 



The roe abounds on the Continent of Europe from 

 the most westerly provinces of Spain, and eastwards 

 as far, certainly, as the Almati Mountains in Central 

 Asia, where large bags are made by the Russian 

 officers. The methods of shooting them are generally 

 the same, and as these are brought to the highest 

 perfection in Germany, I propose to describe them as 

 practised there. 



There are four recognised methods of roe-deer 

 shooting known to German sportsmen i.e., Treibjagd 

 (driving), Brackjagd (hunting to the gun with hounds), 

 Birschgang (stalking, practised principally for roebuck 

 in the summer), and Bldttern ("calling" the bucks, 

 in the breeding season). The finest bucks are obtained 

 by the last two methods, especially the latter, which 

 is, however, repellent to our English ideas of sport, 

 and the venison so obtained is, of course, rank and 

 worthless. I propose to take each of these separately, 

 and will begin with what in point of season comes 

 latest in the year driving with beaters. 



As in English pheasant-shooting, little driving is 

 carried out till the leaves are off the trees. Un- 

 fortunately the roebuck's horns are shed with the 

 leaf, so that it is very rarely the case for one of 

 these quaint little trophies to be obtained by driving. 



