54 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



There could be nothing more beautiful in nature than the 

 fairy-like fawns frisking around their graceful mothers, listen- 

 ing to the music in rapt surprise. 



After leaving Glenfalloch, at the conclusion of the autumn 

 shooting and fishing, I always returned, accompanied by one 

 of my sons, for a fortnight's early, and ten days' later, winter 

 sport. Eoes, of course, occupied a good deal of our attention, 

 but woodcocks and wild-fowl had their full share of the time. 

 We generally arranged to beat one or two of the smaller cov- 

 erts before beginning to range for winged game ; but we never, 

 unless when hunting the two larger woods on the opposite 

 side of the valley, gave a whole day to roe. Although the 

 river Falloch intervened between the woods on the opposite 

 and those on our side of the valley, the old bucks and yeld 

 does often crossed backwards and forwards ; but the younger 

 bucks, and those does which had fawns at their feet, never 

 left their own copse unless when hunted out. 



On the first summer of my lease, when returning from fish- 

 ing, I came suddenly upon a solitary roebuck with horns of 

 such length and thickness as to excite both my wonder and 

 admiration. The keeper assured me he knew him well, 

 having tried hard the winter before to procure this famous 

 head for my predecessor in the game tenancy. I heartily 

 congratulated him on his failure, and myself that my turn 

 was now come. 



Our first winter campaign -opened at Martinmas. We 

 killed nine roes, and procured some very good heads ; but 

 the head, although several times started, always contrived to 

 elude us. As was his habit, the wary old fellow kept much 

 to the steep, widespread patches and scattered clumps on the 

 opposite hill, where the approach of an enemy was readily 

 seen, and the means of escape were various and easy. 



The snows of 1861 came late, so the roes were at their best 

 when we returned after Christmas to finish the shooting sea- 

 son. Three fell the first morning of our range two of them 



