36 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE RED DEER 



The fact that the stags of the old Hebridean race 

 have well-shaped, symmetrical heads is the more 

 surprising when we reflect upon the in-and-in 

 breeding which must have been the rule rather than 

 the exception in the olden days. Of course stags 

 often travel long distances when dissatisfied with their 

 feeding ground, or when desirous to mate with fresh 

 hinds. I have known Skye stags to wander many miles 

 from their accustomed haunts in quest of stray hinds, 

 in pursuit of which they sometimes voluntarily swam 

 across arms of the sea, and landed on lonely islets. 

 Among the mainland forests this trait must tend to 

 secure a general supply of vigorous mates for breeding 

 hinds, except so far as modern deer-fences and other 

 enclosures restrict the journeys of rambling stags. 

 When the fence of an enclosed deer-forest becomes 

 shattered by the storms that sweep over the sides of 

 the mountains in winter, the desire of the wild stags 

 to escape for a time from the limited bounds of their 

 usual hill almost invariably results in some of the 

 herd making good their escape, in spite of the watch- 

 fulness of gillies, and of any shepherds whose assist- 

 ance may be temporarily called in. Yet the extreme 

 caution of wild deer does not hinder them from 

 becoming tame and confiding pets, provided that they 

 are reared in confinement from an early age. It is 



