28 British Deer and their Horns 
Board School craze not having yet extended to them, no marked deterioration in their 
manners is observable. 
As to their feeding and resting hours, the following note by Mr. J. Whitaker, in his 
Deer Parks and Paddocks of England , may be taken as authentic : “From May till October 
they rest from about 9.30 a.m. till 2 p.m., sometimes in the shade and sometimes on the top 
of a hill, where they catch what little breeze there may be. During the period of rest they 
get up occasionally to stretch themselves, and after licking or scratching their sides and necks 
with hoof and horn they lie down again, but always on the other side. They pass their 
time in chewing the cud and sleeping, and if the day be hot and sunny, they will lie with 
all four legs stretched out, exposing as much of their bodies to the sun as they can. About 
2 p.m. they feed and wander about till 4, when they again lie down for about two hours, 
starting again about 6 p.m. and continuing until 9 p.m., when they rest until 5 the next 
morning, feeding from that hour until 9 or 9.30 a.m. In the winter they feed most of 
the short days, but when well supplied with corn and hay, they rest during the middle of 
the day. 55 
In parks where there are both abundance and variety of feeding, little additional winter 
