306 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



dusky brown. It is then the rutting-time for both red and 

 fallow deer, when the former, with swelled throats, fringed by 

 shaggy maneSj roar like bulls ; and the latter, equally rampant 

 and pugnacious, grunt like swine. Both fight savagely for 

 chieftainship of forest or park, and the smaller red-deer harts 

 or fallow bucks have to retire, until the champions, weakened 

 and emaciated, sneak into solitude, refreshing themselves by 

 plunging again and again into their inoss-hole baths. 



In mild winters, followed by an early spring and propitious 

 summer, both red and fallow deer come into first-rate order by 

 the end of July, which is shown by the glossy red coat, and 

 hardening and clearing of the velvety horns. A severe snowy 

 winter and ungenial spring retard very considerably the growth 

 and purity of their antlers. 



Eed-deer that are forced to confine themselves to woods for 

 concealment, as in Mull, although they may be large and 

 weighty, have far meaner heads than open forest stags. Their 

 horns are stunted by constant shade, and I have shot three- 

 year-olds with only knobs instead of horns. This deformity, 

 however, enables them to thread thick plantations much more 

 easily and pleasantly than had they been adorned with a royal 

 head. 



There are wild fallow-deer in some parts of Scotland, but, 

 not being hardy enough to face the blast of exposed hills, are 

 as much dependent on covert shelter as roes. I feel sure that 

 these deer have all escaped from parks at no distant date. 

 My father had a small herd of fallow-deer on one of his highest 

 mountains, but they seldom showed themselves on the heather, 

 generally haunting the pine-woods or oak-copses on the 

 hillside. 



The beginning of October always ends the season for red- 

 deer stags. Some of the younger harts which have not had 

 much of the forest run, may remain longer in condition ; while 

 the yeld hinds and " heaviers " (ox-deer) are good till Christ- 

 mas. Yeld hinds are distinguished from the others by their 



