60 DEER-STALKING. 



In some forests stalking is discontinued as early as 

 the 6th October, but the date most generally observed 

 is the 10th of the month. It does not very much matter 

 for a day or two, as, even if you stalk them and the 

 glass shows they are not shootable, they can be left in 

 peace. They do not all become poor on the same day ; 

 on the three or four days following the 10th there 

 are still fat and good deer to be shot. If any of these 

 days comes on a Saturday it is a good one on which to 

 stop for the season ; on the Sabbath you and yours will 

 go to Kirk in the morning, and put an extra sovereign 

 in the poor box, and then the afternoon will be passed 

 in settling the smaller details of the journey south. 

 In late and very backward seasons, like the past one 

 (1885), deer may be safely shot a few days later; in- 

 deed, the Court Circular, which I presume is correct to 

 a nicety, states that "on the 17th October the Duke of 

 Connaught and Prince Henry of Battenberg went out 

 deer-stalking," and the almost phenomenal lateness of 

 the season would doubtlessly justify this. 



With a view to improve the breed, the experiment 

 has been tried of importing both red deer stags and 

 hinds from English parks, where they attain great 

 weight and grow magnificent heads twenty, twenty- 

 four, and even twenty-six points being not uncommon ; 

 I am not able to state the result from any personal 

 observation, but have heard on good authority it has 

 ended in disappointment. I have seen the reverse 

 operation tried with success, and know of two small 

 Scotch deer being caught and sent to an English park, 

 where they throve and soon grew as large as the rest of 



