Ch. XL MANAGEMENT. 249 



cover, -where she drops her fawn, which for a day or two, until it is able to 

 follow her, she leaves, and feeds on some adjacent spot within the hearing 

 of its voice, should it be attacked, and returns to suckle it occasionally, or 

 to protect it if alarmed. The first year, whether male or female, it is called 

 a fawn — from the French _/««, faon, which it has been said is derived 

 from the Latin Infans — and has no horns; the second year, the male is 

 called 3, pricket, with horns about four or five inches long, terminating in a 

 single point. The third year, his horns are renewed, and increase in length ; 

 they now divide at the top, with a small spur at bottom, called an antler', 

 and he takes the name of sorel; which in the fourth year is changed to that 

 of jo;'^,. when his horns receive an addition both in length and branches. In 

 the fifth year, he arrives at the honour of being called a buck of the first 

 head, and his horns now take the palmated form. Buck is probably from 

 backer, to strike, and is therefore an animal that strikes with the horns ; 

 and thence it has become the general name of the male of the beasts of 

 the chase, even of those which have no horns, as the hare and the rabbit.' 

 In the sixth year, he is accounted fit to be killed, and is called an old or 

 great buck. Thus, in the quaint language of ' The Book of St. Alban's,' 

 printed in 1496, we read : — 



f[nJt ge Spjfie of ji Sutftc ti)e (jjriSU jjjre Je tsi : 

 ^.fatone ^aultsnge on \ii Uatne da^ ad £ sou tugiJ : 

 SDi^e tttaxCat acre a PrgtSrt tlje ti&srlfj ^txt a §ia'saxtl : 

 ^ gotire at flje fourli) sere ^t troulj) 3t pou tell. 

 arifjE fafti) sere talle ^ijm a 3Burtie of tiie fprdt \it^«. 

 %%t ixifXt sere talle i^int a iSucfec antt iroo a;S E sou reiie : 



Of t|)e iiornsd of a iude. 



Clje pontes of a flrete Sutfie or %t jioo lie 

 jKttSt Se SuiSmotisJf ajS 2 Sape ?)erftenatl) \a me. 



' Bell's Quadrupeds, p. 406. 



