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tire peafahts ; more are devoured by the dogs ; and 
ftill more by the Woifj which has ever been confi- 
dered as their implacable enemy. By fuch repeated 
depredations on this beautiful creature, the Roe- 
Buck is gradually becoining more fcarce; and, in 
many countries, the whole race is totally loft. 
Thefe animals, which were once pretty common 
in England, are at prefent totally unknown ; and, 
in a few years, the breed will probably be extind: 
in the Highlands of Scotland, the only part of 
Great Britain in which they are nov/ to be found. 
Even in France, where they were formerly ex- 
tremely numerous, they are at prefent confined to 
a few provinces; and, perhaps, in a century or two, 
the fpecies will there be alfo exterminated. Buf- 
fon indeed obferves, that in thofe diftrifls where 
Roe-Bucks are chiefly found, they feem to maintain 
their ufual numbers; and that the balance between 
their increafe and deftruftion is held pretty even : 
however, the number is in general well known to 
decreafe; for, wherever cultivation takes place, 
beafts of nature are known to retire. Many ani- 
mals which once flourifhed in the world may now 
be extin6l; and the defcriptions of the more ancient 
naturalifts, though taken from thelife, arefrequently 
regarded as fabulous, becaufe their archetypes are 
no longer extant. 
Thofe huntfmen who charaifterize only fuch 
beafts as fall under their cognizance, have given 
names to the different kinds and ages of the Roe- 
Buck, as well as to thofe of the ftag: thus, the firft 
year they call it a hind ; the fecond, a gyrle ; and, 
the third, a hemuje-, but, fince the animal itfelf has 
been extinft in this country, thefe appellations have 
become obfolete. 
The favvms continue to follow the Deer eight or 
nine months collectively; and, on feparating, their 
horns b'^ : in to appear, fimple and without ramifica- 
tions tlir firft year, as in thofe of the ftag kind: 
thefe ti)ey ftied at the end of autumn, and renew 
themdurins: the winter; differing from the ftag in 
this particular, which latter fheds it's horns in the 
fpring, arid renews them in the I'ummer. When 
the Roe-Buck has compleated the furniture of it's 
Iiead, it rubs it's horns againft trees, after the ex- 
ample of the ftag, and thus divefts them of their 
rough flvin, and thofe blood-vefiels which no longer 
contribute to their nourifliment and growth. When 
thefe fall, and new ones begin to appear, this ani- 
mal does not, like the ftag, retire to the covert of 
forae wood, but continues to frequent it's ufual 
haunts, only ftooplng with it's head, in order to 
avoid ftrikino; it's horns ag-ainft tlie branches of 
trees, the concufTions of which it feems to feel with 
exquifite fenfibility. 
As the growth of the Roe-Buck, till it's arrival 
at maturity, is much more rapid than that of the 
fl:ag, fo it's life is proportionably curtailed. It fel- 
dom lives m.ore than twelve or fifteen years; and, 
if kept in a ftate of domeftic fervitude, it's exiftence 
is abridged to feven or eight. Being of a very de- 
licate conftitution, it requires variety of food, air, 
and exercife. It muft be paired with a female, 
and kept in a park of confiderable extent. It can 
eafily be fubdued, but never perfectly tamed. No 
arts can teach it familiarity with it's feeder, much 
lefs to fhew any attachment to him ; but it always 
retains fome portion of it's natural wildnefs. It is 
ftibjeft to timidity from the flighteft occafions; 
and, in attempting to efcape, it fometimes dafhes 
itfelf with fuch violence againft the walls of it's 
jnclofure, that it injures it's limbs fo as to be ut- 
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terly difabled. Wh^atever care is taken to reclaim 
this creature, it can nexer be fully relied on ; and it 
is liable to frequent fit^ of capricious fiercenefs, 
fometimes attacking it's fuppofed enemies with no 
fmall degree of force and impetuofity. 
The voice of the Roe- Buck is neither fo loud 
nor fo frequent as that of the ftag. The young 
ones have a peculiar way of calling to the dams, 
which the hunters imitate with fuch exadnefs, as 
frequently to allure them to their deftrudion; and, 
on particular occafions, they become as it were, 
intoxicated with their food; which, during the 
fpring, is fuppofed to ferment in their ftomachs. 
In fummer, they keep clofe under covert of the fo- 
refts, and leldom venture abroad, except in very, 
warm weather, in order to allay their thirfc at fome. 
neighbouring ftream. In general, however, they, 
are fatisfied with the morning dew, and rarely gra- 
tify their appetites at the expence of their fafety. 
They are generally oblerved to prefer the tender 
branches and buds of trees to corn or other vege- 
tables ; and it is univerfally allowed, that the flefh 
of a Roe-Buck near two years of age is one of the 
gieateft known luxuries; though, perhaps, it's-, 
fcarcity may fornewhat enhance it's value. 
This animal is more common in America than 
in Europe, and the varieties are more numerous. 
With us, indeed, there are but two known ones; 
the red, which is the larger fort; and the brown 
with a fpot behind, which is inferior in fize. In 
Eouifiana, where the Roe-Buck is very common,, 
the inhabitants in a great meafure fubfift on it's, 
flefh, which taftes like well-fed mutton. It is alfo- 
found in Brazil, v/here it obtains the name of cu- 
guacu apara; but it differs from tiie European 
breed in fome flight deviations in the horns. ThiS'. 
animal is alfo faid to be found in China; but thole, 
authors who have defcribed it, feem to confoundit 
with the mufk-goat, an animal of a very different: 
nature. .-'^ 
Deer, Moose, or Elk. This animal is a na-\ 
tive both of the old and new world ; being known 
in Europe under the name of the Elk, and in Ame- - 
rlca under that of the Moofe-Deer. Jt is fome- 
times, though rarely, caught in the forefts of Ger- 
many and Ruflla ; but it is very numerous in North ■ 
America, where the natives trace it through, the 
ihow. However, the accounts of this animal arc. 
extremely various; fomjC making it as large as the 
elephant, and others no bigger than the horfe. 
The ftature of the Moofe-Deer being it's prin- 
cipal peculiarity, it were to be wifhed that natura- 
lifts had been fufflciently explicit in their defcrip- 
tions of it. If we were to judge of the fize of this 
animal from fome horns which have at times been 
cafually dug up in Ireland, it might reafonably be 
conjedtired to be at leaft ten feet high. Gold- 
fmith informs us, that he has fecn one of thofe 
horns, which meafured ten feet nine inches from 
tip to tip; and die accurate Pennant fays, that he 
met with one, in the houfe of the Hudfon's Bay 
Company, which weighed fifty-fix pounds, v/as 
thirty-four inches in length from tip to tip, and 
the breadth of the palm was thirteen inches and 
a half. Between thefe two accounts there is an 
amazing difference ; and unqueftionably there was 
a great difparity in the animals which fupported 
fuch horns. From the dimenfions of the form- 
er, it appears that an animal of an extraordi- 
nary fize would be required to produce them. 
No fmall degree of ftrength would be neceflfary to 
fuftain a head having fuch extenfive and heavy 
antlers ; 
