108 TEXT-BOOK OF ZOOLOGY 



chase of this bold child of the mountains requires a man's whole strength, 

 courage, and endurance (see Schiller's poem "The Alpine Hunter"). 



Family 2 : Antlered Ruminants or Deer (Cervina). 



The Roe Deer (Cervus capreolus). 



(Height at shoulders about 3£ feet ; length of body 2 \ feet.) 



A. Distribution. 



This handsome animal, rightly called the ornament of our forests, is 

 found throughout the whole of Europe and in Western and Northern 

 Asia. It rarely occurs beyond 58 degrees north latitude, the winter of 

 Northern countries being too long and too severe (dearth of food). 



B. Enemies. 



Like all other herbivorous animals, the roe also forms the prey of the 

 larger carnivores. The bear, wolf, lynx, and wild cat are its constant 

 pursuers. In Britain and Western Europe its chief enemy is man, 

 though many young does fall victims to the fox, and even the bloodthirsty 

 marten and weasel (see also gadflies, etc.). Against these various animals 

 the roe is protected by — 



1. Its habitat. The forest, densely overgrown with underwood, in itself 

 affords a certain amount of shelter. As the animal reposes, chewing the 

 cud, under a bush among dry leaves, it is only with difficulty discernible, 

 owing to the colour of its skin, which resembles that of the forest soil. 

 The underside of the body is lighter than the back, which is of a rusty 

 brown colour. The tail is short, and is covered with white hair. In 

 the young, which are most exposed to danger, the skin is dappled with 

 light spots, giving them a close resemblance to the forest soil, with its 

 darker and lighter dry leaves, and rendering them still more difficult of 

 observation than the old animals, which are fleeter of foot and better 

 equipped with means of defence. With the approach of the colder 

 season, the coat becomes lighter coloured and thicker (explain the im- 

 portance of these changes). The strength and hardness of the longer 

 hairs is also in relation with the animal's habitat among the underwood 

 (compare with wild boar). 



2i The sense of smell, of the greatest importance to a forest animal, is 

 in the case of the roe so keen that the animal can scent its hunter at a 

 distance of 600 paces, long before the enemy can approach within 

 dangerous proximity. This acute smell is, in fact, indicated by the 

 wide, open nostrils, which are kept constantly moist (compare with 



