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PART IIL— DEER-STALKING. 



CHAPTER I. 



Foreign and Highland deer-stalking compared — Self-stalking — Mr. 

 Winans — Guides and stalking — Necessity for help of guide — High- 

 land hill-keepers — Professional aid necessary at times — Pleasure of 

 self-stalking— Sub-division of large forests recommended — ^Patience 

 in deer-stalking — Anecdote of late Lord Lovat— Eight years after 

 one slag — Stag-hunting v. deer-driving — Cross-bred stags — Wood- 

 deer — Character of true Highland head — Cross-bred heads — Mis- 

 take of crossing breeds — -A jubilee year — Bad beasts should be 

 killed off — Tameness of cross-bred deer — Value of true-bred 

 heads. 



Many distinguished deer-stalkers express their opinion, 

 and most sportsmen will endorse it, that no sport can 

 excel that of deer-stalking in Canada, India, Norway, 

 and such like countries. In the Scotch Highlands, 

 however, it is altogether another thing to be, as it 

 were, ' led in strings,' and tied to the coat-tails of 

 a keeper born in the forest. Sad as it is to have 

 to say so, it is none the less an indisputable fact, 

 and sport is being turned into a farce : we become 

 tools used by the professional to kill deer. Oftener 

 than not sportsmen so situated follow every move- 

 ment of the stalker whom they are sent out with, and 

 are ignorant of the difficulties which have to be sur- 

 mounted, and know absolutely nothing further than 



