CHAPTER XXII 
THE DEER (cERVIDsS) 
The deer has always been the game par 
excellence of the hunter. There is no animal 
more generally distributed throughout the world, 
therefore it has been, and still remains, the 
general attraction, as it is usually within reach 
of the hunter in all wild countries where it is not 
specially preserved. There is no animal which 
exhibits the necessity of preservation by game- 
laws more forcibly than the deer. In Scotland, 
where preservation has afforded a sanctuary by 
the strict observance of a close-time, we see an 
immense increase of numbers, although the con¬ 
ditions of the Highlands have entirely changed 
since the destruction of forests, which originally 
gave shelter to the red-deer. In mediaeval times 
the shelter of vast areas of woods exerted a 
corresponding influence in the development of the 
animals. Shrubs, grasses, and various plants 
throve within the woods; these afforded nourish¬ 
ment to the animals during winter. At the same 
time, they were protected from the driving winds 
