viii PREFACE. 



seen and reported by the shepherd, who generally 

 constitutes himself, with great pride, stalker for the 

 occasion, and right well he usually acquits himself. In 

 a first stalk a small idea of what was taking place, an 

 inkling even of how best to take the shot, could not 

 but add doubly to the pleasures of that never-to-be- 

 forgotten day, one's first stag. Failing to understand 

 anything about it, all the pleasure of the actual out- 

 witting his quarry is lost to the novice ; he is astonished 

 and hardly knows where to look when the rifle is placed 

 in his hands, and with a whispered " tak' plenty o' time," 

 he is waved forward to go in and kill. 



There is nothing new in these pages, and any one 

 who has stalked for a few years knows all that is to be 

 said, and the smallest idea of instructing those who are 

 already old hands is earnestly disclaimed. 



These pages are dedicated, in memory of many hard 

 days and many pleasant evenings, to all those friends 

 who have ever given the writer a shot at a stag ; but 

 especially to Henry Spencer Lucy of Charlecote Park, 

 Warwick, and Sir Robert Bateson Harvey, Bart., of 

 Langley Park, Slough. To the kindness of these two 

 good friends the writer principally owes it, that for 

 many seasons past he has had the pleasure of pursuing 

 the wild red deer over some of the most difficult and 

 beautiful parts of bonnie Scotland. 



A. G. 



Windsor, 

 July, 1886. 



