THE ANIMAL ' CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS' 127 



numerous accidents to birds, should properly be regarded 

 as unintended traps. They are as much ' fixed engines ' 

 for bird-killing as nets or snares, for the creatures are 

 dazzled by the former, and at night are quite unable to 

 see the latter. The only other accident common to 

 birds is confined to some species of water-fowl, espe- 

 cially moorhens and dabchicks. These are commonly 

 killed by ice, both by diving under it when newly 

 formed and rising to the surface where clear ice covers 

 it, or by being frozen in by their feet. This, which 

 sounds improbable, is a very common mishap, especially 

 to moorhens, whose large feet are with difficulty with- 

 drawn when pinched by the ice. 



Among wild quadrupeds, only the ruminants with 

 large horns and long limbs seem commonly liable to 

 accidents. Cases of stags dying with interlocked antlers 

 are recorded from time to time, and Buckland gives 

 an account of a curious accident which befell a big 

 stag in Windsor Forest. The poor beast had been 

 standing on its hind-legs to nibble leaves from a thorn- 

 tree, and caught its hoof in a fork in the trunk. This 

 threw it on its back and broke the bone. Though red- 

 deer are in this country mainly found wild on moun- 

 tainous ground, we much doubt if they are really 

 a mountain species, or specially clever on rocky ground. 

 Mr. J. G. Millais mentions one pass where the bones 

 of deer that have missed their footing and fallen down 



