98 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



He learnt the art from his father, a most experienced 

 and safe man. He knows the haunts and habits of 

 every deer in the neighbourhood of Dulverton ; and 

 I am happy to say his good quaHties are appreciated 

 by the present master, who, having found by experi- 

 ence how prone the rustics are to shoot with the 

 long-bow, listens to no one except Jem, and on 

 him places full reliance. 



I have spoken of the ' slot ' of a deer, as the mark 

 by which, most safely, the huntsman may know the 

 sex, size, and age of a deer. The slot of the stag is 

 far rounder than that of the hind. The older and 

 heavier the stag, the wider will be the spread of the 

 toes and print of the heel. In soft ground the marks 

 of the dew-claws of a heavy stag will often be 

 apparent, especially when the stag is fatigued. The 

 ' slots ' of the hind and young male deer are narrower 

 and far more pointed than that of the stag and it 

 is sometimes difficult to determine between the slot 

 of the hind and that of the young male deer. 



In the ' Art of Venerie ' the mode of harbouring a 

 deer is pointed out and described with great quaint- 

 ness. It will be seen that in those days the 

 harbourer sometimes used a hound, which he held 

 in a leash. I subjoin an extract which I think 

 cannot fail to amuse the reader. It is from a 



