24 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS. (cHaP. Il. 
till having rested himself, and the hounds having made a wide 
east, fancying that he had left the place, the buck took an 
opportunity to slip off unobserved, and crossing an opening in 
the wood, came straight up the hill to me, when I shot him. 
The greatest drawback to preserving roe to any great extent 
is. that they are so shy and nocturnal in their habits that they 
seldom show themselves in the daytime. I sometimes see a roe 
passing like a shadow through the trees, or standing gazing at 
me from a distance in some sequestered glade; but, generally 
speaking, they are no ornament about a place, their presence 
being only known by the mischief they do to the young planta- 
tions and to the crops. A keeper in Kincardineshire this year 
told me, that he had often early in the morning counted above 
twenty roe in a single turnip-field. As for the sport afforded by 
shooting them, I never killed one without regretting it, and 
wishing that I could bring the poor animal to life again. I do 
not think that roe are sufficiently appreciated as venison, yet 
they are excellent eating when killed in proper season, between 
October and February, and of a proper age. In summer the 
meat is not worth cooking, being dry, and sometimes rank. 
