38 FOREST CREATURES. 



alive, should remain dormant, thougli surrounded with 

 warm pulsating life : that, long after only, it should 

 quicken, but then with hourly development advance 

 towards maturity and birth. And the animal of which 

 we read such marvel is the Roe. 



I am not aware whether it is generally known that 

 there always existed an uncertainty as to the rutting 

 season of the roe and of the period of gestation. Some 

 asserted the season was in July and August, and others, 

 who brought forward equally good premisses to prove 

 what they said, declared it to be in December. Indeed 

 it was the very circumstance that the facts — and facts 

 they were — communicated by the two parties seemed 

 equally conclusive which made the enigma impossible 

 to unravel. For the occurrence noted by the one and 

 the inference drawn from it, appeared absolutely incom- 

 patible with what was observed by the other party, 

 whose reasoning, in reality, was thoroughly well 

 grounded. Indeed the more the matter was considered 

 and the facts then known weighed, the greater was the 

 difficulty in coming to a decision. 



One of the first authorities on all matters relating to 

 wood-craft in Germany, Dietrich aus dem Winkell, in 

 spite of his experience, his enthusiasm, his patient ob- 

 servation, and the information afforded him by numerous 

 investigators like himself, came to a wrong conclusion, 

 and nevei'5 even for a moment, had a foreboding of what 



