98 VAEIETIES OF SHOOTING. 



tion in the hind is eight months ; the fawn is left during the 

 day concealed in the heather, and is only suckled at night. 

 The suckling hind is poor and tasteless, and should be 

 allowed to escape from the rifle-ball. Hinds which do not 

 breed are called yeld-hinds. The direction of the deer's 

 flight is almost always up-wind, in order to be forewarned, 

 by their acute sense of smell, of any approaching danger. 

 There is great difficulty in changing this instinctive course, 

 but it may be done under certain circumstances. The hinds 

 are always the most vigilant, and are set to give notice to 

 the harts. The hinds are also always put first in the run, 

 except in cases of great danger, when the master-hart comes 

 forward and boldly faces it. The timidity of the red deer is 

 very remarkable, and he can scarcely, except by compulsion, 

 be induced to remain near the haunts of man. Every move- 

 ment alarms him, from the cry of the plover to the flight of 

 the hill-fox. He is more especially timid when he cannot 

 make out the exact nature of the danger which threatens 

 him; while, if he sees his great enemy man, even com- 

 paratively close to him, he is much more composed, though 

 still wary, and never confused or flurried. When pressed 

 he stands at bay, and in this position is a very dangerous 

 antagonist for both dog and man, as he will defend himself 

 with horns and hoof till the last extremity. By choice he 

 selects water if pursued by dogs, as his instinct tells him 

 that in this element his superior size and length of leg will 

 give him a great advantage. Here few dogs can pull him 

 down, and when they attempt to reach him by swimming 

 they soon fall victims to the sharp points of his formidable 

 horns. The red deer in Great Britain are confined to the 

 most retired and inaccessible parts of the Highlands of Scot- 

 land, to the Quantock Hills of Somersetshire, and to some 

 of the adjacent ranges of Devonshire; but, in addition to 

 these, may be mentioned the deer confined in certain parks, 

 as Richmond Park, <fcc. ; but these can only be considered as 

 deer in confinement. In Scotland only are they stalked, 

 being reserved for hunting in the west of England. 



The ROEBUCK (Capreolus caprea) is also an inhabitant of 

 some of the Scotch deer-forests ; but it is chiefly confined to 

 the wooded parts, not choosing the mountainous and open 



