DEER. ^45 



attends her offspring with the greatest care and solicitude. In 

 the winter the hinds and fawns once more congregate in 

 herds. It is but very seldom that more than a single fawn is 

 dropped at a birth, and there are never triplets. 



A certain amount of variation occurs in the time of shedding 

 the antlers, according to the age of the animals and the nature 

 of the season. In unusually mild seasons they may be 

 dropped in the latter part of February or early in March, but 

 April is a more usual time, while if the spring be very late they 

 may be retained till May. An instance is recorded by Mr. J. 

 Hargreaves where a "Royal Hart" shed his antlers in December; 

 but this seems to be quite unique. The rarity with which shed 

 antlers of Deer are met with has often been noticed ; and it is 

 now well ascertained that this is due to their being eaten by 

 the Deer themselves ; although it is a little difficult to under- 

 stand how an animal devoid of upper front teeth can manage 

 to gnaw so hard a substance. It should be added that young 

 Stags retain their antlers longer than the old ones, and a two- 

 year-old animal may frequently be seen with them in May or 

 June. When in the velvet, the Stags keep to themselves in 

 the most sequestered situations they can find. 



Like other members of the Family, and, indeed, like Rumi- 

 nants in general, Red Deer are very fond of salt, and will travel 

 long distances in search of "licks." Their feeding-time is 

 chiefly the morning and evening, the middle of the day being 

 spent in repose and cud-chewing among the heather. Their 

 food consists chiefly of grass, leaves, young shoots, beech-nuts, 

 and acorns ; and it is stated that they will also eat various fungi. 



Both in sight and hearing, the Red Deer is one of the most 

 acute of animals ; nevertheless, Macgillivray states that he has 

 succeeded in crawling within ten paces of one. "When you have 

 fired from your concealment," he adds, "the herd immediately 

 starts off, gathering into a close body as they proceed, and at 



