278 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING. 



of speed is, that the dog runs less risk of injury ; for so 

 long as the deer has the power of movement, he will not 

 turn round, or attempt to defend himself with his horns, 

 but endeavours to fly from his pursuers until they have 

 fastened on him, and are enabled, by seizing some vital 

 part, to pull him down ; whereas a cross-bred dog, who has 

 not sufficient speed for a deer, and succeeds only in running 

 him down by the nose (and that after a long chase), finds 

 the deer at bay, with his back against some rock ; in this 

 situation, no dog can possibly attack a deer with the slightest 

 chance of success. Tn fact, so skilfully does he use his horns 

 in defence, and with such fury does he rush upon the dogs, 

 that none can get to close quarters with him without the 

 certainty of instant death. In this position, indeed, he could, 

 without difficulty, destroy a whole pack. When running 

 obliquely down a hill (which is a deer's forte), no dog can 

 equal him, particularly if the ground is rough and stony ; 

 and, in such a situation, a dog, without great roughness of 

 feet, is perfectly useless. It is therefore advisable not to let 

 loose a dog at a deer in a lofty situation, as the ground is 

 general^ most rugged near the tops of the hills, and the 

 dogs run a great risk of being injured. On the other hand, 

 in low and level grounds, a dog is an overmatch for a deer 

 in speed, and, as the deer generally attempts to make for 

 the high grounds for security, and is a bad runner up hill, 

 the dog has a decided advantage when slipped at a deer in 

 such a situation. 



It must be a subject of regret to the sportsman and 

 naturalist that this noble race of dogs is fast dying away, 

 and will, in the course of a few years, inevitably become 

 extinct, unless some extraordinary exertions are made on 

 the part of those who are still possessed of the few that 

 remain. 



Should they once be lost, it is difficult to imagine how 

 any race of dogs can again be produced possessing such a 

 combination of qualities. 



