70 DEER-STALKING 



by mist or has tailored his stag, there is a pleasure to 

 be derived from the most disappointing day with 

 which no other sport that I am acquainted with can 

 compare. The incident of weather as a test will be 

 dealt with presently, and * missing ' a stag involves a 

 question of skill, an element common to every form 

 of sport, and which cannot be taken into account in 

 the competition which is now under discussion. 



The deer-stalker, according to my own experience, 

 starts in the morning always in a cheerful frame of 

 mind. His cares and troubles, if he has any, are left 

 at home. He anticipates a delightful day whether he 

 has luck or not, and he is rarely disappointed. He 

 gets plenty of the most healthy kind of exercise, 

 in the purest of atmospheres, among the grandest 

 scenery to be found in Britain. Unless stalking in a 

 bad forest or on sheep ground, he spies deer, and 

 from that moment till the shot is fired which is to 

 decide whether he is to go home a happy man or the 

 reverse, his attention is so absorbed that hours fly like 

 minutes and minutes like seconds. Watching a herd 

 of deer, sometimes for hours, is often sufficient en- 

 joyment for those who love to observe the habits and 

 note the instincts of wild animals. Then there are the 

 difficulties with which the deer-stalker has to contend 

 before getting within shot of the deer ; the exciting 



