THE TEAK KEGION. 215 



loitering about, but all the time slowly making their way in a 

 certain direction, higher up the hills and towards denser cover, 

 and keeping a heedful watch on possible pursuers. As they 

 penetrate deeper into the waste country their watchfulness 

 diminishes, but they generally take a long and keen survey of 

 all their surroundings before lying down for the day. At all 

 times but the rutting season (October and November) the 

 heavy old stags remain mostly solitary, a few young animals 

 only remaining with the herd, which consists of ten to fifteen 

 individuals. The old stags usually travel deeper into the forest 

 and higher up the hills before lying down than the herd, which 

 is often found within a mile or so of their feeding ground. 

 In all cases a patch of longish grass is selected, and a regular 

 form like that of a hare is made by each individual. Each 

 form is usually in the shade of a small tree, the side or top of 

 the hill, where grass is long but trees not very numerous or 

 thick, being preferred to very dense thickets ; and it is curious 

 with what skill the spot is selected, so that the deepest shade 

 shall fall on the form at about three o'clock in the afternoon, 

 which is the hottest portion of the day. Hundreds of forms 

 will sometimes be found in one locality, every one of them at 

 precisely the same point of the compass from its sheltering 

 tree. The large stags do not seem to care so much about 

 shade, and generally lie on the side of some little depression 

 on a hill top, sheltered only by long grass. Their forms can 

 be readily distinguished from those of the others by their 

 greatly superior size. These forms are generally made when 

 the grass is green, and are occupied at intervals all the rest of 

 the year. More than one herd and a few solitary stags will 

 not usually be found in the same tract of country ; but in the 

 rutting season they collect together in much larger numbers 

 on the tops of the high plateaux ; and the hoarse roar of the 



