AND MANAGEMENT. 



winter for browse, and though the leaves are so 

 the deer ate them readily, and were very fond of them. 

 There was also a large quantity of furze, the shoots of 

 which were kept closely cropped by the deer, affording 

 them winter food, and at the same time keeping the 

 bushes compact and impervious to wind and snow. I 

 believe the quantity of hay given to the deer was com- 

 paratively small, the ivy, holly, and furze proving so 

 valuable as food and covert. 



Sir Victor Brooke, who has a deer park in Ireland 

 with woods adjacent, allows the young deer to run in 

 the woods, and he has remarked that a buck which had 

 been allowed to remain till four years old has even at 

 that age surpassed older deer in weight and fatness 

 when killed. If the owners of large and unsheltered 

 parks even had a good furze field conveniently situated, 

 and allowed the rascal deer to have the benefit of it in 

 the winter, I believe the advantage to the deer would 

 fully compensate for the outlay of paring, burning, 

 enclosing, and sowing a few acres, for in most parks 

 the shelter afforded by the trees is very small, they 

 being of mature growth. It is a matter of surprise to 

 me that there has not been more care taken to have 

 evergreen oaks and firs planted in clumps or belts for 

 the shelter of the deer in the various parks. There is 

 no doubt of the utility of it ; even the coat of the fallow 

 deer, though very close, does not appear to be capable 

 of preserving, much warmth in exposed situations ; it 

 is admirably adapted for covert, the contrast with the 

 hill sheep's in that respect is striking. But we will pro- 

 ceed to speak of the deer in their several seasons, com- 

 mencing with fawns ; the time of their falling dates 

 from June, but the great fall is from the 1 2th of June 

 to the end of July. The period of gestation with the 

 doe is eight months ; generally there is sufficient fern ; 

 in some parks where there is a want of this it is 

 supplied by nettles, to cover the fawns when they are 

 dropped; it is, however, sometimes difficult for the cloe 

 to find a hiding place (this was the case in 1867, when 



