334 STAGHUNTINCx WITH THE 



offer a sanctuary for deer so secure, that thev 

 have much the best of the contest when 

 followed by hounds, and they are not slow to 

 avail themselves of the odds in their favour 

 afforded them by the low sweet-smelling boughs. 



On either side of the dustv main road the 

 remains of strained wire fences lie snake-like 

 in rusty coils amid the luxuriant growth, and 

 render it difficult to negotiate the roadside 

 banks, in fact it may be said that none of the 

 moorland banks can be safely leapt without 

 previous knowledge, owing to the large amount 

 of wire used in former davs for sheep fences. 



The jumping powers of the moorland sheep 

 are well known, and nothing short of a stone 

 faced bank six feet high, with an overhanging 

 coping or a strained wire to surmount all, has 

 the slightest effect in keeping them within 

 bounds. Moreover where the deer go first the 

 sheep are sure to follow, until a well established 

 rack by long usage wears down the wiiole fence 

 to ground level. When deer are attacking some 

 toothsome crop, if they find the fence easy to 

 get over they will often restrict themselves to 

 one or two racks, but should it be high and 

 difficult, or should the farmer endeavour to save 

 for himself some portion of the crop wrested 

 from the thin soil by the sweat of his brow, by 

 stopping the rack with thorns or otherwise, then 

 the deer will choose new crossing places, and if 



