24 THE RED DEER OF EXMOOR. 



enemy very angry, but he gave way a yard or so 

 each time. Darkness closed rapidly in and all hopes 

 of watching a combat were at an end. 



The tawny coat which has given to this species 

 its distinctive title of red is common to both male 

 and female, and differs but slightly in individuals. 

 The hind is, if anything, a little duller in colouring, 

 and the lighter parts under the belly are greyer than 

 in the male. 



It frequently happens that there is great apparent 

 difference in colour between deer seen together, and 

 we have all heard wonderful stories of the " girt black 

 stag " of such and such a place, and have even been 

 privileged to see him, but it is black peaty mud on 

 a russet coat all the time. All deer love to roll in 

 water or mud to cool themselves. The older deer 

 learn that mud keeps off flies and they increase their 

 devotion to the mud bath — the blacker the mud the 

 better they seem to like it. If they are lying on 

 Dunkery or on Exmoor, they can readily find mud 

 of a blackness as complete as that of any ink ever 

 advertised, a fact which the wearers of many a smart, 

 light-coloured habit or grey tweed suit have found 

 out to their disgust, and have also found that the 

 stain does not wash out with the same facility that 

 it does out of the coat of a red deer. 



During the rutting season the long hair on the 

 neck and throat of a stag grows to a considerable 

 length, giving him almost the appearance of having 

 a ruff round his neck. 



