C E R 
Winning, fighting, or enjoying the hinds. Hence, at 
'the end of the feafon, they are lb meagre and exhaufted, 
that they recover not their ftrength for a confiderable 
time. They generally retire to the borders of the forefts, 
feed upon the cultivated fields, where they find plenty of 
iiourimirient, and remain till their ftrength is re-eftablifin¬ 
ed. The rutting feafon of old flags, commences about 
the beginning, and ends about the 20th, of September. 
In thofe of fix or feven years old, it begins about the 
1 oth of September, and concludes in the beginning of Oc¬ 
tober. In young flags, or thofie in their third, fourth, 
or fifth year, it begins about the 20th ofSeptember, and 
terminates about the 15th of Oftober; and, at the end of 
•Odtober, the rutting is all over, excepting among the 
prickets, or thofe which have entered into their fecond 
year; becaufe they, like the young hinds, are lateft of 
coming into feafon. Hence, at the beginning of No¬ 
vember, the feafon oflove is entirely at an end; and the 
flags, during this period of weaknefs and laffitude, are 
eafily hunted down. The hinds go with young eight 
months and fome days, and feldom bring more than one 
fawn at a time. They bring forth in May or the begin¬ 
ning of June, and fo anxicufly conceal their fawns, that 
they often expofe themfielves to be chafed, with a view to 
■draw off an enemy, and afterwards return to take care of 
their young, which they likewise hide from the flag, who 
would deftroy it. All hinds are not fertile; for lome of 
them never conceive. Thefe barren hinds are grofler 
; and fatter than thofe which are prolific, and alfo come 
lboneft in feafon. The young are not called fawns or 
calves after the fixth month: the knobs of their horns 
then begin to appear, and they take the name of knob- 
bers till their horns lengthen into fpears, and then they 
are called brocks or Haggards. During the firll feafon they 
never leave their mothers. In winter, the Hags and hinds, 
of all ages, keep together in flocks-, which are more nume¬ 
rous in proportion to the rigour of the feafon. They fepa- 
rateinlpring: the hinds retire to bring forth; and, during 
this period, the flocks confifit only of knobbers and young 
flags. In general, the flags are inclined to aflbeiate, ‘and 
nothing but fear or neceflity obliges them to difperfe. 
The life of the flag is fpent in alternate plenty and 
want, vigour and debility, health and ficknefs, without 
having any change introduced into his conftitution by 
thefe oppofite extremes. He lives as long as other animals 
which are notfubjefiled tofuch viciflitudes. As he grows 
five or fix years, he lives feven times that number, or 
from thirty-five to forty years. What has been reported 
concerning the extraordinary longevity of the flag, me¬ 
rits no credit. -It is only a popular prejudice which pre¬ 
vailed in the days of Ariftotle, and which that philofo- 
pher confidered as improbable, becaufe neither the time 
-of geftation, nor of the growth of the young flag, indi¬ 
cated fuch long life. This authority ought to have abo- 
lilhed the prejudice; but it has been renewed, in the ages 
of ignorance, by a fabulous account of a flag taken by 
Charles VI. of France, in the foreft of Senlis, with a 
collar, upon which was written this infeription, Cafar 
hoesne donavit . The love of the marvellous inclined men 
to believe that this animal had lived a thou (arid years, 
and had his collar from a Roman emperor, rather than to 
fuppofe that he came from Germany, where all the em¬ 
perors took the name of Caefar. The flag has a fine-eye, 
an acute finell, and an excellent ear. When liftening, 
.he raifes his head, erefts his ears, and hears from a great 
difiance. When he is going into a coppice, or ether 
half covered place, he flops to look round him on all 
fides, and fcents the wind, to dificover if any objefl is 
near that might difiufb him. He is a Ample, and yet a 
curious and crafty, animal. When biffed or called to 
from a dif'tance, he flops Ihcrt, and Looks ftedfaifly', and 
with a kind of admiration, at carriages, cattle, or men ; 
and, if they have neither arms nor dogs, he moves on un¬ 
concernedly, and without fear. He appears to iiften, 
with great tranquillity and delight, to the Ihepherd’s 
- Vox. IV. No. 177. 
V U S. 53 
pipe; and the hunters fbmetimes employ this artifice to 
encourage and deceive him. In general, he is lei's,afraid 
of men than of dogs, and is never fufpicious, or ufes 
any arts of concealment, but in proportion to the diltur- 
bances he has met with. He eats flow, and has a choice 
in his aliment; and, after his ftomach is full, he lies 
down, and ruminates at leifure. He feeras to ruminate 
with lefs facility than the ex. It is only by violent lliakes 
that the flag can make the food rife from his firlt ftomach. 
This difficulty proceeds from the length and direction of 
the paflage through which the aliment has to go. The 
neck of the ox is Ihcrt and ftraight, but that of the flag 
is long and arched ; and therefore greater efforts are ne- 
cellary to raifie the food. Thefe efforts are made by a. 
kind of hiccup, the movement of which is apparent, 
and continues during the time of rumination. His voice 
is ftrpnger, and more quivering, in proportion as he ad¬ 
vances in years. The voice of the hind is fhorter and 
more feeble. She never bellows from love but from fear. 
The flag, during the rutting feafon, bellows in a fright¬ 
ful manner: he- is then fo tranfported, that nothing dif- 
tufbs or terrifies him. He is therefore eafily furprifed; 
as he is loaded with fat, he cannot keep long before 
his purfuers. But he is dangerous when at bay, and at¬ 
tacks the hounds with a fpecies of fury. He drinks none 
in winter nor in fpring, the dews and tender herbage be¬ 
ing then fufficient to extinguish his third; but, during 
the parching heats of fumrner, to obtain drink, he fre¬ 
quents the brooks, the marlhes, and the fountains; and 
in the feafon oflove, he is fo over heated, that he fearch- 
es every where for water, not - only to fatisfy his immode¬ 
rate thirft, but to bathe and refrefh his body. He then 
fwims eafier than at any other time, on account of his fat- 
nefs. He.has been obferved crofting very large rivers. 
It has even been aliedged, that, attracted by the odour 
of the hinds, the flags, in the rutting feafon, throw 
themfelves into the fea, and pals from one ifland to ano¬ 
ther, at the diftance of feveral leagues. They leap Hill 
more nimbly than they fwira; for, when purfued, they 
eafily clear a hedge or a pale fence of fix or feven feet high. 
Their food varies in different feafons. In autumn they 
fearch for the buds of green finrubs, the flowers of broom 
or heath, the leaves of brambles, &c. During the fnows 
of winter, they feed upon the bark, mofs, and excref- 
cences of trees ; and, in mild weather, they browfe in the 
wheat fields. In the beginning of fpring, they go in 
quell of the catkins of the trembling poplar, willow, and 
hazel-trees, the flowers and buds of the cornel tree, &c. 
In fumrner, when they have great choice, they prefer 
rye to all other grain, and the black berry-bearing alder 
to all other Ihrubs. The flcfii of the fawn is very deli -• 
cate.; that of the hind and.knobber very good; but that 
oi the flag has a Itrong tafte. The Ikin and the horns are 
ufeful parts of this animal. The Ikin makes a pliable and 
very handfome and durable leather. The horns are ufed. 
by cutlers, for knife handles, &c. and by chemifis, for 
dillilling the volatile alkali, called ipirits of hartfhorn. 
In America, flags feed eagerly on the broad-leaved 
kalmia; -yet that plant is a poifon to all other horned 
animals; their inteftines are found filled with it duiing 
winter. The'American flags grow very fat: their tallow 
is much efteemed for making candles. The Indians hunt 
and Ihoot them. As they are very Ihy.animals, the na¬ 
tives cover themfelves with a hide, leaving the horns 
ereft; under Ihelter of which they walk within reach of 
the herd. De Brie, in his hiftory of Florida, gives a 
very curious reprelentation of this artful method or chafe, 
when it was vifited by the French in 1564. Their lkins 
are an article of commerce imported by the Hudfijn’s- 
Bay Company ; but they are procured far inland by the 
Indians, who bring them from the neighbourhood of the 
lakes. In Britain the flag is become dels common than 
formerly; its excefllye vicioufnefs during the rutting lea- 
ion, has induced molt people to part with the lpecies; 
Stags are Hill found wild in the Highlands of Scotland, 
P in 
