CHAP. II.] ROE SWIMMING. 23 



is covered with, at different seasons of the year, is astonishingly 

 great. From May to October they are covered with bright red 

 brown hair, and but little of it. In winter their coat is a fine 

 dark mouse-colour, very long and close, but the hair is brittle, 

 and breaks easily in the hand like dried grass. When run with 

 greyhounds, the roebuck at first leaves the dogs far behind, but 

 if pressed and unable to make his usual cover, he appears to 

 become confused and exhaused, his bounds become shorter, and 

 he seems to give up the race. In wood, when driven, they in- 

 variably keep as much as they can to the closest portions of the 

 cover, and in going from one part to another follow the line 

 where the trees stand nearest to each other, avoiding the more 

 open parts as long as possible. For some unknown reason, as 

 they do it without any apparent cause, such as being hard hunted, 

 or driven by want of food, the roe sometimes take it into their 

 heads to swim across wide pieces of water, and even arms of the 

 sea. I have known roe caught by boatmen in the Cromarty 

 firth, swimming strongly across the entrance of the bay, and 

 making good way against the current of the tide, which runs 

 there with great rapidity. Higher up the same firth, too, roe 

 have been caught when in the act of crossing. When driven by 

 hounds, I have seen one swim Loch Ness. They are possessed of 

 great cunning in doubling and turning to elude these persever- 

 ing enemies. I used to shoot roe to fox-hounds, and one day was 

 much amused by watching an old roebuck, who had been run for 

 some time by three of my dogs. I was lying concealed on a 

 height above him, and saw the poor animal go upon a small 

 mound covered with young fir-trees. He stood there till the 

 hounds were close on him, though not in view ; then taking a 

 great leap at right angles to the course in which he had before 

 been running, he lay flat down with his head on the ground, 

 completely throwing out the hounds, who had to cast about in 

 order to find his track again ; when one bitch appeared to be 

 coming straight upon the buck, he rose quietly up, and crept in a 

 stooping position round the mound, getting behind the dogs. In 

 this way, on a very small space of ground, he managed for a 

 quarter of an hour to keep out of view of, though close to, three 

 capital hounds, well accustomed to roe-hunting. Sometimes he 

 squatted fiat on the ground, and at others leaped off at an angle, 



