22 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



the hind doth begin when the season of the hart 

 doth end.' Long past and gone indeed are the 

 days when the forest of Exmoor held the boar and 

 wolf; and yet, no doubt, time was when our Saxon 

 ancestors hunted those fierce beasts in the wilds 

 where the red deer still roam at large ; but even 

 then they were accounted less noble game than the 

 stag which has survived them. ' A hart,' says 

 Manwood, ' is called cervus in Latin ; and Isodorus 

 in his twelfth book saith that he is called cervus 

 from the Greek word Kepea-rou, which is a horn : he 

 is accom.pted of divers writers to be the most state- 

 liest beast in his gate that doth go upon the earth, 

 for he doth carry a majesty in his countenance and 

 gate.' 



It is to this noble animal — to a description of his 

 nature and habits, that I propose to devote this 

 chapter. 



It has been asserted by some writers that the red 

 deer was introduced into this country from France. 

 The animal, it is true, is found in that country, and 

 in Germany and elsewhere ; but after some enquiry 

 and investigation of the subject, I can find no 

 sufficient ground for assuming that it is not a 

 native of this island. 



The male red deer is called, in common parlance, 



