96 VARIETIES OF SHOOTING. 



and passes through the trajectory c ; but if it were held 

 any higher, the ball, before it could pass in a higher line so 

 as to rise above d, would be stopped by the arch b, which 

 may be placed conveniently at the front of the loading- 

 shed; e is the target. This plan is very commonly adopted 

 in France. 



ROOKS and RABBITS need scarcely be alluded to as 

 pabulum for the rifle, each being too well known to need any 

 description. 



The STAG, or RED DEER (Cervus elephas), is the largest 

 of the British deer, of which three varieties are known 

 viz., the red deer, the fallow deer, and the roebuck. The 

 first is considerably the largest; and the following dimen- 

 sions given by Mr. Scrope in his interesting work on deer- 

 stalking will afford some idea of his enormous size : 



ft. in. 



Height at shoulder 3 11^ 



Girth at shoulder . . , 47 



Height from top of head to fore-foot ..56 



Length of antler 26 



From top of antler to ground . . . . 7 10 

 Gross weight . . . 3081bs. 



In colour, the stag is usually of a reddish brown, with 

 blackish muzzle, and mane mingled with grey ; the inside of 

 the thighs and flank being lighter, and approaching to a 

 fawn colour. Deer under one year are called calves; till 

 three, a male a brocket, and the female a hearst ; at three, 

 the male a spire, and the female a hind ; at four, a staggart; 

 at five, a stag ; at six, a warrantable stag; and after this, a 

 hart. The female does not breed till three years old, and 

 has only one calf. The male is known from the female by 

 having a pair of horns, which are shed yearly, and change 

 in form with every succeeding year. Each fully-developed 

 horn has a brow, bay, and tray antler, and two points also on 

 the top. The three first are termed the rights; the two 

 points, the crockets; the horn itself, the beam; the width, 

 the span; and the rough part at the junction with the 

 skull, the pearls. The age is known by the horns and by 

 the slot. The BROCKET has only small projections, called 



