318 ANIMALS OF THE 



When a stag hard hunted takes to swimming in 

 the water, he is said to go sail ; when he turns 

 his head against the hounds, he is said to bay ; 

 and when the hounds pursue upon the scent until 

 they have unharboured the stag, they are said to 

 draw on the slot. 



Such are but a few of the many terms used by 

 hunters in pursuing of the stag, most of which 

 are now laid aside, or in use only among game- 

 keepers. The chase, however, is continued in 

 many parts of the country where the red deer is 

 preserved, and still makes the amusement of such 

 as have not found out more liberal entertainments. 

 In those few places where the animal is perfectly 

 wild, the amusement, as was said above, is supe- 

 rior. The first great care of the hunter, when he 

 leads out his hounds to the mountain side, where 

 the deer are generally known to harbour, is to 

 make choice of a proper stag to pursue. His 

 ambition is to unharbour the largest and the 

 boldest of the whole herd ; and for this purpose 

 he examines the track, if there be any, which if 

 he finds long and large, he concludes that it must 

 have belonged to a stag, and not a hind, the print 

 of whose foot is rounder. Those marks also which 

 he leaves on trees, by the rubbing of his horns, 

 show his size, and point him out as the proper 

 object of pursuit. Now to seek out a stag in his 

 haunt, it is to be observed, that he changes his 

 manner of feeding every month. From the con- 

 clusion of rutting time, which is November, he 

 feeds in heaths and broomy places. In Decem- 

 ber they herd together, and withdraw into the 



