18 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. [cHap. IZ. 
CHAPTER II. 
Roe: Mischief done by—Fawns—Tame Roe—Boy killed by Roe—Hunting 
Roe: Artifices of—Shooting Roe—Unlucky shot—Change of colour— 
Swimming—Cunning Roe. 
As the spring advances, and the larch and other deciduous 
trees again put out their foliage, I see the tracks of roe and the 
animals themselves in new and unaccustomed places. They now 
betake themselves very much to the smaller and younger plan- 
tations, where they can find plenty of one of their most favourite 
articles of food—the shoots of the young trees. Much as I like 
to see these animals (and certainly the roebuck is the most per- 
fectly formed of all deer), I must confess that they commit great 
havoe in plantations of hard wood. As fast as the young oak 
trees put out new shoots the roe nibble them off, keeping the 
trees from growing above three or four feet in height by con- 
stantly biting off the leading shoot. Besides this, they peel the 
young larch with both their teeth and horns, stripping them of 
their bark in the neatest manner imaginable. One can scarcely 
wonder at the anathemas uttered against them by proprietors of 
young plantations. Always graceful, a roebuck is peculiarly so 
when stripping some young tree of its leaves, nibbling them off 
one by one in the most delicate and dainty manner. I have 
watched a roe strip the leaves off a long bramble shoot, begin- 
ning at one end and nibbling off every leaf. My rifle was aimed 
at his heart and my finger was on the trigger, but I made some 
excuse or other to myself for not killing him, and left him un- 
disturbed—his beauty saved him. The leaves and flowers of the 
wild rose-bush are another favourite food of the roe. Just before 
they produce their calves the does wander about a great deal, and 
seem to avoid the society of the buck, though they remain to- 
gether during the whole autumn and winter. The young roe is 
soon able to escape from most of its enemies. For a day or two 
it is quite helpless, and frequently falls a prey to the fox, who at 
