28 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE RED DEER 



summer. All the same, deer are wonderfully hardy 

 animals, and can often shift for themselves under the 

 most unfavourable circumstances. Our Martindale 

 deer, for instance, do not really seem to suffer from a 

 low temperature if adequate supplies of food are forth- 

 coming. They contrive to scrape the snow away 

 with their fore-feet even when a really heavy fall has 

 taken place. Especially happy are they, if, in such 

 a predicament, they can obtain access to a bed of 

 nettles ; for they are partial to the roots of that plant. 

 In this connection it should always be borne in mind 

 that the condition of deer is largely governed by the 

 character of the food supply which they command. 

 One of the chief reasons for the remarkable develop- 

 ment of heads on the Continent is to be found in 

 the 'Browse' which forest deer enjoy. Blasius states 

 that in Germany the dietary of the stag varies season- 

 ally. In spring beech mast and acorns are eaten. 

 In winter the bark of trees, lichens and moss, all 

 go to make up the bill of fare. Certain species of 

 fungi are found in the stomachs of deer. Young 

 shoots are rarely neglected. 



In the case of a forest like Martindale, where there 

 is no other wood than stunted hazel or wind-twisted 

 thorns and alder, the deer are forced to subsist 

 throughout the year on an admixture of short sweet 



