ANTELOPES AND DEER 125 



recently been killing Deer in two parks situated only about two 

 miles apart; the soil in both is rich and about the same; in one 

 frequent changes of blood have been made from time to time, and 

 here the heads are very fine, while in the other no change has 

 been made in the memory of man, yet the bodies are exceptionally 

 good but the heads very poor indeed. In both these parks bucks 

 have been killed weighing 15a lb. clear. This is very heavy, 

 considering that in many parks the bucks do not average more than 

 90 lb. 



The habits of Deer vary according to season and food supply. 

 In parks where there is plenty of keep during the Summer they 

 spend most of the day resting. From May till the end of September 

 they rest from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the shade when the sun is hot. 

 During the period of rest they occasionally get up to stretch them- 

 selves; after licking or scratching their sides with hoof and horn 

 they lie down again, but always on the other side. 



They pass the time in brushing flies off, chewing the cud, and 

 sleeping. From 2 p.m. they feed and wander about until 4 p.m., 

 when they again lie down. Starting again at 7 p.m. they feed till 

 10 p.m., and then probably rest till 5 o'clock the next morning. 

 In the Winter, when they have to work harder for food, they take 

 their rest at midday and night, three hours at a time, but much, of 

 course, depends on food supply. 



Snow and frost have no bad effect on Deer if plenty of 

 good food is put down for them ; the best is good hay and beans, 

 although they are particularly fond of maize, locust beans and 

 oil-cake. 



During the Winter the bucks are in the lowest condition and 

 the does at their best, especially those that may have lost their 

 fawns in the Summer. Does suckle their young to within a month 

 of the next birth, and I have known cases where, the doe having 

 lost her fawn in the Summer, the fawn of the previous year has 

 suckled on through the following Winter. 



There are several ways of catching Deer. In some parks they 

 are ridden down, but this is the worst plan I know of, for if a Deer 

 gets thoroughly blown, as he must do by this means, he more often 

 than not dies after being secured, especially if his legs are strapped. 

 Another way in which Deer may be caught is by using Deerhounds 

 trained for the purpose and run by sight. This answers very well 

 for old bucks that have to be caught for stall feeding and are not 



