10 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XXI. 



Late in the afternoon I constantly see the roe 

 feeding on those clover fields where there is sufficient 

 second growth to attract them. Nothing can be 

 more graceful than the light and agile movements 

 of this animal while nibbling the tender shoots of 

 the bushes or trees on which it feeds. The wild 

 rose and the bramble are amongst its favourite 

 morsels : from the long twigs of these plants it 

 nibbles off leaf by leaf in the most graceful manner 

 imaginable. As the leaves fall from the birch and 

 oak woods the roe quit them, and take to the fir 

 plantations, where they have more quiet and shelter. 

 The foresters accuse these animals of being very 

 destructive to their young oak trees ; and fond as I 

 am of them, I am afraid that I must admit the 

 accusation is just, as they undoubtedly prefer the 

 topmost shoot of a young oak-tree to almost any 

 other food. Nevertheless, the mischief done to the 

 woods by roe is but trifling when compared to that 

 done by rabbits. Many an acre is obliged to be 

 replanted owing to their destructive nibbling ; and 

 in some of the beautiful woods of Brodie I saw the 

 fine holly-trees of many years' growth, with stems 

 of six inches in diameter, perfectly killed by being 

 barked by rabbits. 



Most of the hill-bred hawks, such as hen-harriers, 

 merlins, peregrines, &c., come down now to hunt 



