338 ANIMALS OF THE 



they are never entirely to be relied on, as they 

 have capricious fits of fierceness, and sometimes 

 strike at those they dislike with a degree of force 

 that is very dangerous. 



The cry of the roebuck is neither so loud nor 

 so frequent as that of the stag. The young ones 

 have a particular manner of calling to the dam, 

 which the hunters easily imitate, and often thus 

 allure the female to her destruction. Upon some 

 occasions also they become in a manner intoxicat- 

 ed with their food, which, during the spring, is 

 said to ferment in their stomachs, and they are 

 then very easily taken. In summer they keep 

 close under covert of the forest, and seldom ven- 

 ture out, except in violent heats, to drink at some 

 river or fountain. In general, however, they are 

 contented to slake their thirst with the dew that 

 falls on the grass and the leaves of trees, and 

 seldom risk their safety to satisfy their appetite. 

 They delight chiefly in hilly grounds, preferring 

 the tender branches and. buds of trees to corn, or 

 other vegetables ; and it is universally allowed 

 that the flesh of those between one and two years 

 old is the greatest delicacy that is known. Per- 

 haps, also, the scarceness of it enhances its flavour. 



In America this animal is much more common 

 than in Europe. With us there are but two 

 known varieties j the red, which is the larger 

 sort ; and the brown, with a spot behind, which is 

 less. But in the new continent the breed is ex- 

 tremely numerous, and the varieties in equal pro- 

 portion. In Louisiana, where they are extremely 

 common, they are much larger than in Europe ; 



