HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 125 



other countries, it is generally brown or yellow. His 

 eye is peculiarly beautiful, foft, and fparkling : His hear- 

 ing is quick; and his fenfe of fmelling acute. When 

 liflening, he raifes his head, erects his ears, and feems 

 attentive to every noife, which he can hear at a great 

 diftance. When he approaches a thicket, he. flops to 

 look round him on all fides, and attentively furveys every 

 object near him : If the cunning animal perceive nothing 

 to alarm him, he moves flowly forward j but, on the 

 leaft appearance of danger, he flies off with the rapidity 

 of the wind. He appears to liften with great tranquillity 

 and delight to the found of the fhepherd's pipe, which 

 is fometimes made ufe of to allure the poor animal to its 

 deftruction. 



The Stag eats flowly, and is nice in the choice of his 

 pafture. When his ftomach is full, he lies down to 

 chew the cud at leifure. This, however, feems to be 

 attended with greater exertions than in the Ox or the 

 Sheep ; for the grafs is not returned from the firft fto- 

 mach without violent {training, owing to the great length 

 of his neck, and the narrownefs of the paflage. This ef- 

 fort is made by a kind of hiccup, which continues during 

 the time of his ruminating. 



The voice of the Stag is ftronger and more quivering 

 as he advances in age : In the rutting feafon, it is even 

 terrible. That of the Hind is not fo loud ; and is fel- 

 dom heard, but when excited by apprehenfion for herfelf 

 or her young. 



The Stag has been faid to be an uncommonly long- 

 lived animal ; but later obfervations have fully confuted 

 this unfounded opinion. It is a generally received max- 

 im, that animals live feven times the number of years 

 that bring them to perfection : Thus the Stag, being five 



