978 The Zoologist — November, 18G7. 



" I sail go intill a hare, 

 With sorrow sich and mickle care; 

 And I sail go in the devil's name, 

 Aye, when I come home again." 



When in this form, she said, " the dogs will sometimes get bits of us, 

 but will not get us killed : when we turn to our own shape we will 

 have the bits and rives (tears) and scarts (scratches) on our bodies." 

 When the witch wished to return to her human form she repeated the 



words — 



" Hare, hare, God send thee care ! 

 I am in a hare's likeness now, 

 But I sail be a woman even now; 

 Hare, hare, God send thee care!" 



Elk. — The elk or moose is or was believed, both by the Scandinavians 

 and the North-American Indians, to be subject to frequent fits of 

 epilepsy, or cramp, as others say ; and its hoofs were considered (on 

 the homoeopathic system) to be an infallible specific for these diseases. 

 The Indians say that when the moose feels these fits coming on it 

 bleeds itself by cutting one of its ears with the sharp edges of its fore 

 hoofs. 



Red Deer. — The wounds caused by the antler of the stag at bay 

 were considered very dangerous, as witness the old rhyme : — 



" If thou be hurt by horn of stag 

 It brings thee to thy bier, 

 But leeche's skill shall boar's hurt heal, 

 Therefor thou needst not fear." 



It was also believed that a wounded deer sought medicinal plants to 

 cure his wounds : to this Marlowe alludes in his play of ' Edward II.' : 



" The forest deer being struck 

 Buns to an herb that closes up the wounds, 

 But when th' imperial lion's flesh is gored 

 He rends and tears it with his wrathful paw." 



In the mythology of the Teutonic races the stag, like the wild boar, 

 was an emblem of the sun : he also appears in a variety of legends as 

 sent from another world to decoy away those who follow him. Thus 

 in Scottish story Thomas the Rhymer sees 



" A hart and hiud pace side by side, 

 As white as snow on Fairualie;" 



