56 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE RED DEER 



hours seemed to pass without any unusual circum- 

 stance. At last the welcome sound of the deer 

 approaching was heard. One of the party peeped 

 cautiously out of ambush. There sure enough were 

 the dark forms of three or four deer crossing the 

 snow. The animals sniffed cautiously round, and 

 soon began to nibble at the grain. They seemed 

 scared at finding the byre open, but gathered courage 

 on discovering that the passage through was clear. 

 When all the grain which lay on the snow outside 

 the byre had been consumed, the animals followed 

 the train of straw which led them into the byre. 

 As soon as the unlucky animals had crossed the 

 threshold, both doors were hastily closed. The cap- 

 tives passed the remainder of the night in fruitless 

 attempts to escape from their prison. When daylight 

 returned the fate of the poor wanderers was soon 

 settled, though unfortunately not in a way which 

 sportsmen could countenance. 



The methods employed by poachers varied in differ- 

 ent places. One of the commonest plans was for a 

 couple of men to go to the hills with their guns, intend- 

 ing to take up their position on the line which deer 

 would be likely to follow when returning from feeding 

 on the lower slopes of the hill. Two hours or so after 

 the gunners left home a boy would be dispatched, to 



