260 THE Boon OF THE DOG. 



can be brought any distance to the meet. There seems, however, something scarcely sports- 

 manlike in chasing a domesticated creature across a country, and this branch of sport has 

 been in consequence sarcastically characterised as " calf-hunting " by its detractors. A rather 

 peculiar feature in connection with hunting a carted deer is the different manner in which 

 different deer run. Those who have been hunted several times are more or less certain to 

 provide good sport, and on being liberated from the van make the most of the few minutes' 

 law which is allowed them, and take a bold line across country. Others, on the other hand, 

 act quite differently, and are practically useless for this purpose. It is, therefore, customary 

 to name the deer, and if it is thought probable that an old favourite will be uncarted the 

 meet is certain to be better attended than if an untried one is to be liberated, as the latter 

 often decline to take country at all. With reference to the behaviour of Staghounds in days 

 gone by, the writer of the "Field Book" above alluded to writes as follows: 



" In taking the deer according to annual custom, either for the royal hunt or for the 

 fattening paddocks, a stag or a buck which has been previously fixed upon is ridden out of 

 the herd by two or three of the keepers in succession, each of whom is closely followed by 

 a hound, the young dogs only being kept in slips. As soon as the deer has been separated 

 from his companions the dogs have the requisite signal given to them, and they immediately 



follow in pursuit The dogs are so well trained, and are so soon made aware 



which buck is intended to be caught, that they seldom make a mistake even if the deer 

 regains the herd after being driven from it, but press him through it till they have again 

 separated him from it. It is well known that when a hard-pressed deer tries to rejoin his 

 companions they endeavour to avoid and get away from him as much as possible, or try to 

 drive him away with their horns." 



It is not to be supposed at the time of writing that Staghounds are thus employed, or need 

 all the above writer states be accepted as fact. Nevertheless, what he says is so far useful 

 as showing the purposes to which the hounds were put in his day, and the opinion enter- 

 tained by a certain class of sportsmen concerning them. 



Hunting the wild deer is mostly confined to the south-west portion of this country, and 

 differs mainly from the former sport in the fact that the deer in this case is an undomesticated 

 animal, and not a poor paddock-fed pet, whose life is periodically tormented by being 

 pursued across country by a troop of cockney sportsmen. The whereabouts of the deer is 

 usually pointed out by those who know the locality and are acquainted with the animal's 

 habits, and when found the hounds are laid on. In hunting the wild deer the animal, if 

 brought to bay, in the majority of instances loses his life, no quarter being shown him, as 

 in the case of the carted deer, for the former animal is considered legitimate game, and is 

 promptly converted into venison. 



There being so much similarity between the Staghound and the Deerhound our readers will 

 be in a position to judge of the former's points and standard after perusing the article on 

 the Foxhound in the succeeding chapter. The scale of points, moreover, which are given in 

 the Foxhound chapter are equally applicable to the Staghound. 



