Habits and Characters of 

 British Wild Animals. 



THE RED DEER. 



Thrice the age of a dog is that of a horse ; 

 Thrice the age of a horse is that of a man ; 

 Thrice the age of a man is that of a deer ; 

 Thrice the age of a deer is that of an eagle ; 

 Thrice the age of an eagle is that of an oak. 



SO says an ancient and interesting adage, which 

 at any rate lacks nothing in extravagance of 

 statement. Throughout Scotland the belief is still 

 firmly rooted among shepherds and foresters of the 

 old school that deer live to an enormous age, 

 often exceeding two hundred years. It is a very 

 curious fact that till quite recently this belief in the 

 longevity of the red deer went practically undis- 

 puted, and in glancing through old records of the 

 chase one repeatedly finds reference to famous 

 stags reputed to have evaded many generations of 

 hunters. Indeed, the recognised name of ' Spy- 

 tard ' existed as a designation for harts over a 

 hundred years of age, and I believe that a Spytard 

 was granted certain protections not shared by the 

 younger generations of its race ! 



Scrope relates one or two incidents which might 

 be taken as conclusive in indicating the abnormal 

 length of life this animal attains, though he himself 

 did not uphold such extravagant views. Concern- 

 ing a stag which was shot by Glengarry in 1826, 



