OF DEER. 305 



two at once : they always eat up the skin 

 which the calf laid in. As the calf grows up 

 she teaches it to run, leap, and the way it 

 must keep to defend itself from the hounds, 

 &c. Harts and hinds are very long lived, 

 commonly a hundred years and upwards. 

 The time of rutting is about the middle of 

 September, and continues two months ; the 

 older they are the hotter, and the better be- 

 loved by the hinds, and therefore they go to 

 rut before the young ones ; and being very 

 fiery will not suffer any of them to come 

 near the hinds till they have satisfied their 

 venery. But the young ones are even with 

 the old, for when they perceive the old ones 

 are grow r n -weak by excess of rutting, the 

 young will frequently attack them and make 

 them quit the place, that they may be masters 

 of the sport. 



They are easily killed in rutting time, as 



they follow the scent of the hind with such 



greediness, laying their noses to the ground, 



that they mind nothing else; they are. such 



Dd 3 



