CHAP. 11.] ROE SWIMMING. 23 
is covered with, at different seasons of the year, is astonishingly 
great. From May to October they are covered with bright red 
brown hair, and but little of it. In winter their coat is a fine 
dark mouse-colour, very long and close, but the hair is brittle, 
and breaks easily in the hand like dried grass. When run with 
greyhounds, the roebuck at first leaves the dogs far behind, but 
if pressed and unable to make his usual cover, he appears to 
become confused and exhaused, his bounds become shorter, and 
he seems to give up the race. In wood, when driven, they in- 
variably keep as much as they can to the closest portions of the 
cover, and in going from one part to another follow the line 
where the trees stand nearest to each other, avoiding the more 
open parts as long as possible. For some unknown reason, as 
they do it without any apparent cause, suchas being hard hunted, 
or driven by want of food, the roe sometimes take it into their 
heads to swim across wide pieces of water, and even arms of the 
sea. I have known roe caught by boatmen in the Cromarty 
firth, swimming strongly across the entrance of the bay, and 
making good way against the current of the tide, which runs 
there with great rapidity. Higher up the same firtn, too, roe 
have been caught when in the act of crossing. When driven by 
hounds, I have seen one swim Loch Ness. They are possessed of 
great cunning in doubling and turning to elude these persever- 
ing enemies. I used to shoot roe to fox-hounds, and one day was 
much amused by watching an old roebuck, who had been run for 
some time by three of my dogs. I was lying concealed on a 
height above him, and saw the poor animal go upon a small 
mound covered with young fir-trees. He stood there till the 
hounds were close on him, though not in view; then taking a 
great leap at right angles to the course in which he had before 
been running, he lay flat down with his head on the ground, 
completely throwing out the hounds, who had to cast about in 
order to find his track again; when one bitch appeared to be 
coming straight upon the buck, he rose quietly up, and crept in a 
stooping position round the mound, getting behind the dogs. In 
this way, on a very small space of ground, he managed for a 
quarter of an hour to keep out of view of, though close to, three 
capital hounds, well accustomed to roe-hunting. Sometimes he 
squatted flat on the ground, and at others leaped off at an angle, 
