RED DEER. 103 



famed stock which tenanted the Irish forests have 

 disappeared. The wolf, the morse-deer, the Irish 

 greyhound, exist no longer ; and this noble creature is 

 the sole remnant of her aboriginal animals, when Ireland 

 was in her wild and independent condition. 



Individual exertions to continue the red deer are found 

 to be of little use. They seldom breed when deprived 

 of liberty, and restricted to the enclosures of a park. 

 If they do, the offspring degenerates, and the produce 

 is very inferior in size to what it would have been, had 

 the animal remained in its state of natural freedom. 

 Even when taken young in the mountains, to rear the 

 fawns is a difficult and uncertain task. My cousin has, 

 for many seasons, made the attempt, and generally 

 failed three times for once that he succeeded. Last 

 year one young deer that he procured throve well and 

 grew apace until he was sufficiently stout to go out and 

 graze with the cows. Unfortunately, a visitor brought 

 a savage-tempered greyhound to the Lodge, the dog 

 attacked the fawn, and it died of the worrying it received 

 before the greyhound could be taken off. 



It is almost impossible to procure the fawns from the 

 mountains in an uninjured state. They generally 

 receive a blow of a stick or stone from the captor, or 

 undergo such rough usage in conveying them to the 

 low-lands that death commonly ensues. A fine, well- 

 grown male was brought to the Lodge last week. For 

 a day or two nothing could be more promising than its 

 appearance. It began, however, on the fourth morning 

 to pine away, and soon after died. We opened it to 

 ascertain, if possible, the cause of its death, and dis- 

 covered a gangrened wound in the side, evidently 

 produced by a blow. The peasant who brought him 



