44 THE MASTER OF GAME 



of any other wild beast's flesh, they live on good 

 herbs and other woods and vines and on briars 

 and hawthorns ^ with leaves and on all growth of 

 young trees. When the female has her kids she 

 does all in the manner as I have said of a hind. 

 When they be in bucking they sing a right foul 

 song, for it seemeth as if they were bitten by 

 hounds. When they run at their ease they run 

 ever with leaps, but when they be weary or followed 

 by hounds they run naturally and sometimes they 

 trot or go apace, and sometimes they hasten and 

 do not leap, and then men say that the roebuck 

 hath lost his leaps, and they say amiss, for he ever 

 leaves off leaping when he is well hasted and also 

 when he is weary. 



When he runneth at the beginning, as I have 

 said, he runneth with leaps and with rugged 

 standing hair and the eres ^ (target) and the tail 

 cropping up all white. 



And when he hath run long his hair lyeth sleek 

 down, not standing nor rugged and his eres 

 (target) does not show so white. 



And when he can run no longer he cometh and 

 yieldeth himself to some small brook, and when 

 he hath long beaten the brook upward or down- 

 ward he remaineth in the water under some roots 

 so that there is nothing out of water save his head. 



^ G. de F. says " acorns." 



* Middle English ars^ hinder parts called target of roebuck. 



