APPENDIX 207 



left hanging on the tree, sometimes broken off and put 

 into the ground (in French this was called making brisées 

 hautes or brisées basses). When making his ring- walks 

 round the covert the harbourer was told to put a mark 

 to every slot he came across ; the slot of a stag was to 

 be marked by scraping a line behind the heel, of a hind 

 by making a line in front of the toe. If it was a fresh 

 footing a branch or twig should be placed as well as the 

 marking, for a hind one twig, for a stag two. If it be a 

 stale trace no twig must be placed. Thus, if he returned 

 later, the hunter would know if any beast had broken 

 from or taken to covert since he harboured his stag in 

 the morning. When the harbourer went to " move " 

 the stag with his limer he was to make marks with 

 boughs and branches so that the berners with their hounds 

 should know which way to go should they be some 

 distance from the limer (Roy Modus, x. v ; xii. r ; 

 xiii. r ; Du Fouilloux, 32 r). Blemish is the word used 

 by Turbervile for brisées (Turbervile, 161 1, p. 95, 104, 

 114). 



CHANGE. The change, in the language of stag 

 hunting, was the substitution of one deer for another in 

 the chase. After the hounds have started chasing a stag, 

 the hunted animal will often find another stag or a hind, 

 and pushing it up with its horns or feet will oblige it to 

 get up and take his place, lying down himself in the spot 

 where he found the other, and keeping quiet, with his 

 antlers close over his back, so that the hounds will, if 

 care is not taken, go off in chase of the substitute. Some- 

 times a stag will go into a herd of deer and try to keep 

 with them, trying to shake off his pursuers, and thus give 

 them the change. 



A hound that sticks to the first stag hunted, and re- 

 fuses to be satisfied with the scent of another deer, is 

 called a staunch hound, one who will not take the 

 change, which was considered one of the most desirable 

 qualities in a staghound. G. de F., in speaking of the 



