OF THE TAKING OF THE STAG. 99 



One has frequently been told of hunted stags 

 foaming at the mouth, but the writer never saw more 

 than just a few flakes of foam, such as a horse half 

 in condition may throw. This would not be seen till 

 a stag had galloped some distance. 



It is rarely that one gets a good look at a deer at 

 close quarters, and at three hundred yards minutiae 

 are not observable. The only test, then, is the 

 general action and behaviour of the deer. A fresh 

 deer will frequently be seen to stop and listen to his 

 foes, turning round to look before making up his 

 mind what to do. A hunted stag has tried all his 

 dodges in covert — he knows exactly what is behind 

 him, and he goes right away to the point he has fixed 

 in his mind. A fresh stag may be headed, but rarely 

 a hunted one. 



If one can see the slot of a stag one can some- 

 times draw conclusions from it. With fatigue comes 

 want of elasticity, and the toes will be found much 

 wider apart : the pace will not be so long, and the 

 forelegs will be crossed more at each stride, while 

 the dew claws of the hind legs will frequently be seen 

 to have touched the ground. 



When a stag, after a long run, is seen to attempt 

 to scale a steep hid in a direct line for the summit, 

 one may put him down as a beaten deer, and if there 

 is a considerable stream at the base of the hill one 

 may save one's horse by stopping at the bottom, 

 being fully assured that the stag will come back 

 again before long. 



H 2 



