ROE DEER IN ASIA 
W ITH the possible exception of some of the smaller African 
mammals, such as the impala or Grant’s gazelle, there is 
no beast of the chase which, for his size, bequeaths to his 
pursuers so splendid a trophy as the little roebuck. In 
Scotland, despite the fact that a good roe head is a great 
deal harder to get than that of a good red deer, he meets 
with but scurvy treatment at the hands of many so-called sportsmen. 
Treat him fairly and he will give every bit as good sport as will a war- 
rantable stag; treat him as vermin and you will derive considerably more 
amusement from shooting cats with an air-gun, particularly if the pre- 
serve you patronize lies in the more thickly populated districts of the 
metropolis! 
It is unfair to our own European roe to compare him with the magnificent 
specimens which come from Central Asia. No such comparison indeed is 
possible, for no European head ever compared in measurements with 
those of the best Asiatic specimens. In Asia, dwelling amid natural sur- 
roundings and circumscribed by no artificial restrictions, the roe must of 
necessity be accorded the sportsmanlike treatment he deserves, and under 
such conditions he ranks high as a beast of the chase. 
In many parts of Central Asia the natives hawk roe with golden eagles, 
and the sport is most picturesque. I have seen these mounted falconers 
with their eagles, but have never had an opportunity of watching them 
when engaged in pursuit of game. 
The common roe deer ( Capreolus caprea) is found in the Southern Caucasus 
and possibly Persia; in the northern part of the range its place is taken 
by the larger Asiatic roe (C. pygargus), which stands from 30 inches 
to 34 inches at the shoulder. The ears of this variety are shorter and 
more hairy, the white rump patch is larger and the horns may attain a 
length in the Tian Shan of nearly 19 inches. It is found also in the Altai 
and from the mountains of Turkestan to Eastern Siberia. The horns are, 
typically, similar to the European variety but usually rougher and with 
more numerous points and “ snags.” Mr Charles Howard Bury recently 
killed one with no less than sixteen points with a length of 15 inches, of 
which I include a drawing. The best which I have seen personally is one 
killed by Colonel C. S. Wood, a perfect normal head, beautifully rough, 
with a length of 17 inches, and six long, well -developed points. Various 
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