214 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



water again in the Exe at Wear Bridge, and beat down to 

 Perry Weir, at which place he was run into and killed. 

 He proved a six-year old deer, with his bay antlers 

 wanting, with two on top on each horn. This was the 

 best chase of the season, and lasted three hours and 

 thirty-five minutes. 



August list, 1788. — On this day found a very red stag 

 at Fernham in the Bratton country, and after a run of an 

 hour, killed him at Newtown Bridge. He was so vicious 

 that two of the best hounds in the pack, 'Brusher' and 

 ' Lofty,' were killed by him. It is a rare occurrence to 

 see a deer so vicious at this season ; just before the 

 rutting season we often meet with it. 



October lyth. — On this day a hind was found in Hawk- 

 ridge, and ran but half an hour, having missed her footing 

 in leaping a gate at Knaplock and broke her neck. An 

 accident of this description is a very rare occurrence with 

 these animals ; one somewhat similar occurred within the 

 author's recollection at Padwells. A six-year old stag 

 was suddenly come on by the tufters, he rose from his 

 lair, and made a bound over some very high coppice in 

 a shelving steep part of the wood, missed his footing, fell 

 on his head, and broke his neck. 



1789. — The spring hunting was attended with two 

 rather unusual circumstances. On April 27th, Horner 

 Wood was drawn with the pack (a very imprudent 

 practice, as the following account shows). They soon 

 found, and after running the coverts half an hour by 

 Stoke Pero Church for the open ; before reaching Alder- 

 man's Burrow a dense fog came on, the hounds were lost, 

 and two days after the head and part of the carcase of a 

 fine old stag was discovered on Exmoor, evidently killed 



