34 THE RED DEER. 



his greater boldness probably causes him to move 

 to the front ; and when he breaks, all the hinds will 

 follow him, even though it be through a whole line 

 of beaters. Usually the leader of the herd is an 

 old hind who has previously impressed the others 

 by the soundness of her judgment, and she it is 

 who sets the routine for the rest, leading them 

 from hill to hill, or perhaps to some distant salt- 

 lick. Her selection is by universal suffrage, and, 

 once having attained to the place of eminence, her 

 decisions are accepted without comment. 



COATS. 



Hinds cast their winter coats from May onwards, 

 though a hind in poor condition may still be carry- 

 ing her old coat, or a part of it, as late as July. 

 The stags begin to cast their coats immediately 

 their horns are shed, and the new coat appears 

 seldom later than June. The colour varies, and 

 the shade of the eyes varies with the coat. In this 

 way we have distinct clans ; but, generally speaking, 

 the deer of low countries are lighter than those of 

 the heights. White deer are rare in Scotland. In 

 winter the colour of the stag and the hind alike is 

 a general brown, shading off into gray, especially 

 about the face, while down the spine there exists 

 a ridge of much darker hair. The belly and the 

 inside of the ears are generally pure white. 



These white ears, with their black rims, render 

 the animal very conspicuous amidst certain settings. 

 In summer the correspondingly darker patches are 

 a rich, reddish gold, sometimes very beautiful in a 

 prime animal. In the case of the stag the jaws 

 and the neck are heavily maned, the longer hairs 

 being tipped with glossy black, and the face is 

 often very richly coloured. 



