WATCHING THE HIND 3 



her cheek and dealt her a sharp blow on the shoulder. 

 Then it trotted away, leaving the child screaming 

 and sobbing with pain and fright. 



For a few minutes I was amazed at this action of 

 the hind, then I noticed for the first time that the 

 child was wearing a bright red jacket. unseeing 

 fool that I am, exclaimed I to myself, not to have 

 noticed that red jacket in time! I think my hurt 

 was as great as that of the child, who recovered 

 presently and was duly (and quite unnecessarily) 

 warned by her mother to feed no more deer. 



I have seen the eflEect of scarlet on various other 

 animals, but never before on deer. It affects animals 

 as a warning or a challenge, according to their dis- 

 position, and if they are of a fiery or savage temper, 

 it is apt to put them in a rage. 



In the other adventure with a hind there was no 

 sensational or surprising element, but it interested 

 me even more than the first. 



Seeing a hind lying under an oak tree, chewing her 

 cud, I drew quietly towards her and sat down at the 

 roots of another tree about twenty yards from her. 

 She was not disturbed at my approach, and as soon 

 as I had settled quietly down the suspended vigorous 

 cud-chewing was resumed, and her ears, which had 

 risen up and then were thrown backwards, were 

 directed forwards towards a wood about two hundred 

 yards away. I was directly behind her, so that with 

 her head in a horizontal position and the large ears 

 above the eyes, she could not see me at aU. She was 



