i8 6 
British Deer and their Horns 
of wandering, the buck, frequently accompanied by the doe, will go miles up into the deer 
forest, where they frequent hill-sides or bare tops, often much to the annoyance of deer¬ 
stalkers. Apropos of the contempt with which stalkers look upon a roe, Mr. Fred. 
Godman tells me the following amusing conversation between his stalker on Ben Arne and 
a gillie. They were all three sliding along the hill-side towards a stag in a somewhat diffi¬ 
cult position, when a roebuck was spied, of course up wind, right in the way. Donald knew 
perfectly well that if they got round the roe and gave him the wind the little deer would 
make off down wind for a wood behind them, and that the stag would not see the move. 
“ Tuncan, whispered Donald over his shoulder in contemptuous tones, “ d’ye ken 
onything aboot the ways o’ yon beast” (referring to the roebuck). “ Wull she rin up wund 
like a stag, dye think ? Tuncan, of course, professed complete ignorance of the habits of 
so low a creature, but it was noticed by my friend that Donald moved the roe into that 
wood with consummate skill all the same, and then took a pinch of snuff. 
At this season roe are very much bothered by the flies and midges, and one is often able 
to spot them on the hill-side by their so constantly shaking their heads and ears. All through 
September the bucks move about much by themselves, whether in woodlands or high ground, 
and travel for long distances, but the middle of October sees them back again in their 
favourite woods, where they in most cases rejoin their own family parties on the same beats. 
A few keepers who are observant have told me that there is a second rut in October, 
and I know of two men who both declare that they have seen the rut actually take place at 
this season. Their evidence was doubtless given in the best of faith. Still, if any attempt 
to mate again ever takes place, I am sure that it is, as with the October passion ot the black¬ 
cock, pseudo-erotic. There is not the least doubt that roe, even the bucks too, chase each 
other frequently at this season as if in play. In fact, I have seen roe acting like this and 
chasing each other in almost every month of the year. 
Certainly among the most interesting things in natural history that I have ever seen are 
the “ roe rings ” in the big wood near Cawdor Castle. There is no doubt that these regular 
playing grounds have been in use for centuries, and the roe have been running in these same 
identical circles probably since the last glacial period. There were about six good rings 
when I visited the ground in 1892 and made sketches; three of these had been simply beaten 
into a track by the thousands of little feet that had used them. One perfect circle under 
some beech trees about half a mile from the castle had a diameter of about 20 feet. 
Another was situated outside the wood in the corner of a grass park, and close to a stone 
wall ; whilst the third might be described as a double ring, for it took the form of the figure 
8, there being a fir and an ash tree growing in each loop. The roe galloped in and out 
along the lines of the figure. These curious circles are most used in early summer at day¬ 
break, and Sutherland, the head keeper, tells me that hardly a morning passes without there 
being one or two roe playing in the rings, and sometimes there is quite a party of them. I 
saw several standing in one of the rings one morning, and from the indentations in the much- 
worn track, they had just been playing, but they unfortunately saw us and made off at once. 
Earl Cawdor takes a great interest in these rings and keeps a splendid stock of deer in his 
wood. It is to his kindness I am indebted for many happy days, when I was quartered 
for two years and a half at Fort-George, close by. 
