ROE-DEER SHOOTING. 83 



behind. They are then known to German sportsmen 

 as " cross-bucks." 



The finest heads are obtained by the process of 

 blattern or calling, the only method of roe - deer 

 shooting of which I have still to speak, and this 

 because, especially where there is a large head of 

 roe, the shooter can practically pick and choose his 

 bucks. I use the word " shooter " advisedly, because 

 I cannot bring myself to speak of the practice as 

 sport, and I find that the best German sportsmen 

 agree with me. What would be thought of a man 

 in Scotland, who hid himself and called up the deer 

 by imitating the bellow of a rival ? Yet this is a 

 favourite method in Germany. The definition of 

 sport seems to be this endeavouring to compass the 

 death of an animal by pitting our science against the 

 peculiar qualities with which nature has endowed that 

 animal for the purpose of protecting itself. Thus in 

 stalking the natural wariness, in snipe-shooting the 

 twisting flight, in coursing the speed, in fox-hunting 

 the cunning wiles, are the attributes against which 

 we have to contend. In "calling," however, there is 

 no such triumph. Lured by the passions, the hapless 

 animal rushes headlong to its doom. However, as I 

 have already said, no description of German roe- 

 shooting would be complete without reference to the 

 blattern. I propose therefore to give some account 

 of it. 



The call used for the purpose is a little instrument 

 some inch and a half long. The squeaky noise it 

 emits is the imitation of the call of the doe, for there 



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