ROE-HUNTING. 53 



vious woods, an old, steady fox-hound is indispensable to force 

 them into open ground and through the passes. Day after 

 day they will dodge about in their favourite fastnesses ; but 

 unless the hunter thoroughly understands the sport, and 

 knows every pass and open space of the forest, he will most 

 probably come home each evening without having fired a 

 shot. Should, however, the country be dotted over with 

 small copses and belts of plantation, without one large wood 

 to shelter them, hunting roe with a fox-hound is totally im- 

 practicable, and if persevered in, most of the roe-deer will 

 leave the ground altogether. When a good steady hound 

 finds the track of roe, he will stick to it for half a day ; and 

 the quarry, well knowing the futility of seeking concealment 

 in the near coverts, makes for some distant retreat, not to 

 return perhaps for weeks. For such small woods many 

 people prefer beaters ; but I have always observed that beat- 

 ers, after the first few drives, shy the roes more, and make 

 them more wary and cunning than dogs do. I have also 

 this objection to a noisy troop, that it is a lazy and stupid 

 way of killing game. 



The Glenfalloch coverts were chiefly of oak copse, with a 

 sprinkling of larch and fir. None of them being of great 

 extent, and all tolerably open, pleasanter roe-shooting could 

 not be had. There were no other guns than my son's and 

 my own, and no other beating aid than one keeper and two 

 retriever dogs. The retrievers were under perfect command, 

 and never were permitted to persecute the roes needlessly ; 

 so the latter soon became accustomed to them, and, feeling 

 confident of easily eluding their pursuers even in these small 

 coverts, scarcely ever took the trouble to quit them. 



In a larch plantation, close to our doors, a couple of does 

 lived all summer. The larger had twins and the other a 

 single fawn, which they constantly brought within gunshot 

 of the drawing-room window ; and when singing was going 

 on, would pause with great curiosity and apparent pleasure. 



