102 rOREST CREATURES. 



3. A stao' in walkino- turns his hoofs outwards, as we 

 men turn out our toes. The hind scarcely ever does 

 so. (Auswartsgehen.) 



4. ^Yhen the stag crosses a field of grass or young corn 

 he cuts the shoots short off With, his hoofs, and the lopped- 

 off blades are found in the slot. The hind, on the con- 

 trary, crushes the young growi:h with her tread, p7'es-si7i(7 

 it into the soil. If the soil be very soft or sandy, it Vv'ill 

 naturally yield, and then of course this sign cannot be 

 found. (Abschnitt.) By means of these lopped-off 

 blades of grass you may learn also if the slots are new 

 or old. In the first case the grass wall still be green 

 and fresh : if however they are already faded, then be 

 sure the stag passed there the night before. And it is 

 always material to know this. If the weather is w^arm 

 and the ground dry, it is difficult to discover if a slot 

 is fresh or not; this sign therefore is, in such case, of 

 great assistance. 



5. Sometimes, as the stag places his hoof on the 

 groimd, a blade of grass gets between the cleft of his 

 hoof. We already knov/ that it is his peculiarity to 

 press the two parts together : when, therefore, in taking 

 another step, he lifts his hoof, the blade of verdm^e is 

 torn off, and carried in the cleft to the next foot-print, 

 and deposited there. This is most visible when the stag, 

 on quitting a meadow, treads on a road or on ground free 

 from grass. With a hind this cannot happen ; for, as 



