700 



THE ROEBUCK, 



They particularly single out women and children as their victims, and inflict severe and 

 dangerous wounds with their sharp-pointed horns. One day, at a kind of public garden 

 near Brighton, I saw a beautiful but small Roebuck in an inclosure, fastened with a 

 chain, which seemed strong enough and heavy enough to hold down an elephant. 

 Pitying the poor animal, an exile from his native land, I asked what reason they 

 could have for ill-using him, by putting such a weight of iron about his neck. The 

 keeper of the place, however, informed me, that small as the Roebuck was, the chain 

 was quite necessary, as he had attacked and killed a boy of twelve years old a few 

 days before, stabbing the poor fellow in fifty places with his sharp-pointed horns. Of 

 course I had no more to urge in his behalf." 



ROEBUCK. Capreolus Caprcea. 



Yet, according to some practical writers on the subject the Roebuck will not turn 

 upon its pursuer, even when wounded and brought to bay. It is not found in large 

 herds like the fallow Deer, but is strictly monogamous, the single pair living together, 

 contented with each other's society. The horns of this animal have no basal snag, and 

 rise straight from the forehead, throwing out one antler in front, and one or two behind, 

 according to the age of the individual. From the base of the horn to the first antler the 

 horn is thickly covered with wrinkles. It is a most active little Deer, always preferring 

 the highest grounds, thence forming a contrast to the fallow Deer, which loves the 

 plains. It is seldom seen in England in a wild state, but may still be met in many 

 parts of Scotland. 



The color of the Roebuck is very variable, but is generally as follows : The body is 

 always of a brown tint as a ground hue, worked with either red or gray, or remaining 

 simply brown. Round the root of the tail is a patch of pure white hair and the ab- 

 domen and inside of the limbs are grayish white. The chin is also white, and there is 

 a white spot on each side of the lips. 



