THE ROE AND HIS NATURE 43 



cannot be judged by their fumes, and but little by 

 their track as one can of harts, for a man cannot 

 know the male from the female by her feet or by 

 her fumes. 



They have not a great tail and do not gather 

 venison as I have said, the greatest grease that they 

 may have within is when the kidneys be covered 

 all white. When the hounds hunt after the roe- 

 buck they turn again into their haunts and some- 

 times turn again to the hounds.^ When they see 

 that they cannot dure " (last) they leave the country 

 and run right long ere they be dead. And they 

 run in and out a long time and beat the brooks in 

 the same way a hart doth. And if the roebuck 

 were as fair a beast as the hart, I hold that it 

 were a fairer hunting than that of the hart, for 

 it lasteth all the year and is good hunting and 

 requires great mastery, for they run right long 

 and gynnously (cunningly). Although they mew 

 their heads they do not reburnish them, nor repair 

 their hair till new grass time. It is a diverse 

 (peculiar) beast, for it doth nothing after the 

 nature of any other beast, and he followeth men 

 into their houses, for when he is hunted and over- 

 come he knoweth never where he goeth. The 

 flesh of the roebuck is the most wholesome to eat 



^ " They ring about in their own country, and often bound 

 back to the hounds" would be a better translation.. 

 2 From the French durer, to last. 



