HINTS. 231 



a tree, and there is nothing before you, so that you are 

 exposed from head to foot, the outlines and colouring of 

 your person so amalgamate with the stem, that, sup- 

 posing you be still, neither man nor beast might per- 

 ceive you, though coming in your immediate neighbour- 

 hood. In the mountains of Bavaria I lost two chamois 

 by inattention to this. I saw them at a distance, but 

 as all around was bare, there was no possibility of stalk- 

 ing them. I sent the young forester round on the other 

 side, to show himself at a distance ; I meanwhile taking 

 up my station against a block of stone, not far from 

 where I knew they would pass. But though the frag- 

 ment of rock came up to my back, my head rose above 

 it, and, as the spot where I stood was high up, had 

 nothing but the sky behind it for a background. Hence 

 my head and shoulders were strikingly visible. In due 

 time the two chamois approached ; but suddenly halted 

 a long rifle-shot off. They stared at the unusual ap- 

 pearance which they directly saw against the sky, and 

 came no nearer. They could not make it out ; they had 

 not seen it there before, and they bounded off straight 

 up to the crest of the mountain. 



Disregard no sound you may hear when thus on the 

 watch. Indeed the ear often renders as good service to 

 the sportsman as the organs of vision. Your hearing, 

 it is true, must be very acute to detect the stealthiest 

 movements of an animal in the thicket ; but if it be so, 



Q4 



