126 THE RED DEER OF EXMOOR. 



his life and subsequently turn him out. If by 

 any luck he can be secured before any of the hounds 

 have had hold of him, he would, of course, be saved ; 

 but as the bite of one of these powerful hounds is so 

 serious that though he may, and, unless badly torn, 

 probably will, recover, he is not likely to grow into a 

 strong, healthy stag whose presence is any advantage 

 to the herd and the sooner he is put out of his pain 

 the better. 



Sport during the hind hunting season varies very 

 much from year to year, and depends mainly on two 

 things, the weather and the feed, of which the latter 

 is the most important. If the autumn keep has been 

 good, and there are plenty of roots, hinds face the 

 wintry weather in strong, hard condition, and if in 

 addition there happens to be a big crop of acorns 

 and beech nuts, so that they are well supplied with 

 hard dry food, they never seem to lose that condition. 

 The presence or absence of a plentiful supply of 

 acorns is doubtless one of the causes which lead deer 

 to lie in the neighbourhood of certain coverts in some 

 years, and to go elsewhere in others. 



The weather has, of course, a strong influence on 

 the strength of the deer ; snow, which renders their 

 food hard to find, being their worst enemy. In a 

 severe winter, the boldness with which they will 

 enter stack-yards and help themselves, within a few^ 

 yards of inhabited houses is surprising. 



The changes which have taken place in the practice 

 of farming have, it is believed by many, contributed 



