viii PREFACE TO THE 



of the deer, his picturesque and noble appearance, his sa- 

 gacity, and the skilful generalship which can alone ensure 

 success in the pursuit of him, keep the mind in a constant 

 state of pleasurable excitement. 



Those arts which are the most successful for killing the 

 stag will apply to almost all other wild quadrupeds of the 

 nobler sort ; and a correct acquaintance with them might 

 possibly be the means of saving many an adventurer's life, 

 whose actual sustenance, and that of his companions, de- 

 pended on his skill in hunting. In exploring unknown 

 regions for the advancement of science, or cast, as men 

 may be, on a desolate shore, how necessary, how indis- 

 pensable, is a knowledge of the huntsman's craft for the 

 actual preservation of existence ? And yet, in such travels 

 as I have read, I have never seen this craft fully explained, 

 the adventurer having been under the guidance of the 

 natives, and for the most part a novice in the business. 



In my narrative of a few days' deer-stalking in the 

 forest of Atholl, I have not, except in one instance, noted 

 my best success far from it. My aim has been to confine 

 myself to such events as I thought best calculated to illus- 

 trate a diversion, which all sportsmen, who have the means 

 in their power, are now pursuing with unabating ardour. 



I have thought it desirable to describe the motions of 

 the red deer under every variety of pursuit and danger to 

 them ; to set forth their great sagacity and self-possession ; 

 their courage and noble bearing ; the bay ; the method in 

 which they are prepared for being taken home ; and many 

 particulars relating to their natural history and habits. 



I have attempted also to illustrate all the essential 

 points that occur in stalking deer, both in slow and quick 



