326 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Both the calves of the Red-deer and the Fallow fawns used 

 to come out through the railings and lie by themselves in the 

 garden, and only went to their mothers for nourishment, except 

 at night for protection. The only accident which happened was 

 one killed by a large cat. It was one of the Fallow fawns, and 

 hearing it crying I went out, and caught the cat on its neck. As 

 he would not retreat more than a yard or two, I brought out my 

 little rook-rifle and shot him dead. It was the more astonishing 

 because this occurred when the fawn was more than two months 

 old, and a fine strong, well-grown one. It was not quite dead 

 when I arrived, but so injured that it could not stand, and 

 being a good deal torn, I thought it better to put it at once 

 out of pain. It was lucky they were not attacked in this way 

 when younger, for they were generally out in the garden, and 

 at'times it was a pretty sight to see them playing on the grass- 

 plot — three Fallow fawns and two Red-deer calves. But the}' 

 soon became bad gardeners, for they used to send the plants 

 flying in their races over the flower-beds as they became 

 stronger, and had to be kept in by wire-netting outside the iron 

 pallisading. 



I have omitted to state that my old stag never had more than 

 eleven points, and one of them only an offer on one of the tops ; 

 but I believe him to have been a very old stag wlien he came. 

 For the last year or two the tines were straight and flat, and 

 lacked the vigour of the curve. He might also have become a 

 "royal" if I had not been obliged, or thought it necessary, to 

 stop a good deal of the food in hot weather, just as the tops were 

 growing, because they used to stand and pant from the heat, as 

 the walk was without a roof and full in the sun, and in their 

 houses it was also very warm, so that both deer, I consider, 

 had the growth of horn checked. I have the old stag's head 

 preserved, with his ten points; but he was going off from the 

 time I had him, although always a heavy deer. 



