India and Ceylon
is described in a separate article. There are, however, representatives of this rusine deer which have not been elsewhere dealt with, and deserve some notice.
Malay Sambar (C. unicolor equinus).- This race of Sambar nearly equals in bulk and stature its Indian cousin. The antlers are, however, nothing like SO long, the best specimen hitherto recorded reaching not more than 32½ inches to the 48 or 50 inches of the finest Indian specimens. The antlers, although shorter, are stouter than in the Indian species, and carry the usual three tines on either side. The coat is somewhat darker in colour; there is often a pale ring round the eyes, while the ears are smaller and often show white margins. The tail is very bushy. The Malay Sambar has a wide range, being found in Assam, Cachar, Manipur, Burma, the Malay Peninsula, Siam, Hainan, Borneo, and, it is believed, Sumatra.
Wherever it is found, this deer yields good sport to the rifle.
Formosan Sambar (C. unicolor swinhoei). A deer closely resembling the last named species. It has a shorter head, a more concave profile, and is longer in the leg. The antlers are considerably shorter.
Found only on the island of Formosa.
Luzon Sambar (C. unicolor philippinus). -Closely allied to the Malay Sambar. Distinguished by a dark streak running from above each eye in a line down the centre of the face, and separated by a patch of light fawn from the dark, moustache-like muzzle marking. Found on the island of Luzon, Philippine group, and introduced also into the Marianne Islands.
Basilan Sambar (C. unicolor nigricans). -A smaller species, having its habitat on Basilan Island. Height about 2 ft. 3 in.; carries short antlers, averaging about 13 inches.
Szechuen Sambar (C. unicolor dejeani). -This is a considerably larger deer, found in North China. The antlers are massive and somewhat snagged, the best recorded pair attaining 31 inches.
Rusa Deer (C. [Rusa] hippelaphus and C. hippelaphus moluccensis). There are two races of this handsome Sambar-like deer, the first found in the island of Java and introduced with much success many years ago to Mauritius, where excellent sport is obtained with these animals. The [DEER shape, colour, and coat of this deer is distinctly Sambar-like, but the ears are smaller and the under parts and chin whitish. The antlers are more slender than in the Sambar, but extend to a fair length, 37½ inches in the Javan, and 36½ inches in the Moluccan race. The Javan Rusa has also been introduced into the island of Rodriguez, east of Mauritius, where it affords some fair shooting. The Moluccan Rusa is indigenous in Celebes and the smaller Moluccan islands of Boru, Batchian, and Amboina.
The weight of a Javan Rusa, shot in Rodriguez by Admiral Sir William Kennedy, was 269 lbs. A Rusa much resembling the Moluccan race is found in the islands of Timor, Semao, and Kambing. It has been dignified by naturalists as C. hippelaphus Timoriensis. Philippine Spotted Deer (Cervus alfredi). This is a small deer, of which very little is at present known. Two specimens have been exhibited in the Zoological Society's Gardens, one, a male, in 1870, and a female in 1871. The skins of both these deer are now in the British Museum. In height this little cervine stands about 28 in. at the shoulder. The body colour is dark, blackish brown, marked with a number of distinct whitish spots, the under parts, chin, and lower lip being white. The antlers are apparently of the type of the Malayan Sambar, but relatively smaller, and with a shorter brow tine. The ears are short and rounded, the tail rather short and sparsely haired, with some white on the under surface. According to Mr. R. Lydekker, this species is to be regarded as a modification of the Sambar group, and is probably related to the Cheetal, or Axis deer of India.
It seems to be unknown to sportsmen, and is found on the islands of Samar and Leyte in the Philippine group.
Cheetal or Axis Deer (Cervus axis).- Described elsewhere.
Hog Deer (Cervus [Hyelaphus] porcinus). -A sturdy, short-legged little deer, found in India from Scind and the Punjab to Assam, and thence through Sylhet to Burma and Tenasserim. The summer coat of this species is a light yellowish or rufous brown, spotted with white; in winter the pelage is somewhat darker. The Hog deer stands about 25 to 30 inches, and weighs from 90 to 100 lbs. The antlers carry three points on either side, and measure as much as 23/4 inches. This little deer yields pretty shooting, and is familiar to most sportsmen in the East.
Two forms of Hog deer, C. calamienensis and C. culionensis, are found in the Philippines, and another, C. Kuhli, in the Bavian group, between Borneo and Java.
DEER] THE ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF SPOPT Barasingha or Swamp Deer (Cervus [Rucervus] duvauceli). This the true Barasingha of the East is a large deer, standing nearly 4 feet at the shoulder, and weighing as much as 400 lbs. It carries fine and very curiously shaped antlers, which develop often twelve and occasionally as many as fifteen and even more points.
It is found in many parts of the plains of India, and yields good sport to the man with the rifle. The summer coat of this deer is a bright rufous, with a broad, dark line down the centre of the back, variegated by a line of white spots on either side. The under parts are whitish. The swamp deer is partial to grassy plains, open forest, and the outskirts of more heavily wooded country. In the cold season as many as from fifty to a hundred of these deer may be seen collected in one herd. The term Barasingha means "twelve pointer," and is applied to the Kashmir stag as well as to this deer.
Schomburgk's Deer (Cervus [Rucervus] schomburgki). Another fine deer, allied to the Indian Swamp Deer, carrying very curious antlers, spreading and many-tined.
Twenty-pointers are by no means uncommon in this race. The coat is dark brown in colour, and a good stag of this species will stand about 3 ft. 6 in. at the withers. This deer is not very well known to English sportsmen. It is found in Northern Siam on either side of the Menam river; also in Cambodia.
Thamin or Eld's Deer (Cervus [Rucervus] Eldi). -Another of the swamp deer, found from Manipur through Burma to the Malay Peninsula, also in Siam and Hainan. Naturalists recognise three races, the Burmese, the Manipur, and the Siamese Thamin, but all are closely allied. This is a large, dark brown deer, standing well over 4 feet at the shoulder, and weighing as much as 245 lbs. (17 stone odd). The Siamese Thamin has a more rufous coat, with yellowish spots. The horns are perhaps the most singular among the deer species, having long curved brow tines, and bare beams, curving outward and inward, with various short points towards the sharp terminals. The finest pair recorded measure 42 inches over the curve. These came from Burma, where this deer affords excellent sport to many British officers and civilians.
The stags are shy, wary, and difficult of approach; when wounded and bayed by dogs they charge savagely.
Muntjac or Barking Deer. - Described elsewhere in this volume.
Chinese Water Deer (Hydrelaphus inermis). This is a very small deer, standing no more than 20 in. at the withers. It is, apparently, scarcely known to European sportsmen, but some few specimens have from time to time been exhibited in the Zoological Society's Gardens. In 1898 a female was living in the Duke of Bedford's park at Woburn Abbey. The general colouring on the upper part of the body is a light, rufous chestnut, the neck paler than the back, and the shoulders, limbs, and tail brownish chestnut. The under parts, chin, throat, a narrow band on the muzzle, a mark over the eye, and the inner surface of the ear, white or whitish. The species is apparently hornless; the males show tusks, which protrude from the upper lip. This deer is unique among the cervidæ from the fact that the female usually gives birth to no less than three or four fawns. It is found in North-eastern China, "typically from the islands of the Yang-tsi-Kiang, and perhaps Korea." Its Chinese name Shanghai is Ke. In the wild state these small deer are in the habit of crouching among reeds and long grass; when disturbed they rise in twos and threes and scurry away with quick, short leaps, "very much after the manner of a hare." at Père David's Deer (Elaphurus davidianus). Although not now to be classed as a beast of chase, whatever it may have been in ages of the past, this very singular Chinese deer deserves some kind of mention.
In modern, times this species, sometimes called the Milu deer, has only been known in captivity. The first specimen was obtained by Père David, a French missionary, from the Imperial Park at Pekin, and is now in the Paris Museum. During the Boxer War all the remaining examples in China were destroyed, and the race is now only represented by a herd of about twenty-eight, maintained by the Duke of Bedford at Woburn Park. This is a large, heavy deer, tawny brown in colour, whitish on the rump and under parts, round the eyes, and on the inner part of the ears. The tail is long and tufted, and the neck, withers, and throat display a mane of dark hair. The antlers are very singular, having no brow tines, a forked front prong, and the hind prong long, straight, and sweeping over the back. The best antlers recorded measure 327/8 in. over the curve. Although never known to Europeans except in the captive state, this singular deer must once have roamed wild over some portion of North China or Kashgar.
The White-tailed or Virginian Deer (Mazama [Dorcelaphus] americana).- This is still the commonest and most familiar of all American deer. Found across the whole continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it manages to hold its own in spite of much hunting and not a little persecution. It is still plentiful in the Adirondack mountains, in the eastern part of the States, from Pennsylvania southward, as well as in the swamps and cane-brakes of the South Atlantic and Gulf States. A handsome and very graceful deer of medium size, the White-tail stands about 3 ft. or a trifle over at the shoulder, and weighs, in fair specimens, between 12 and 13 stone.
The general coloration is chestnut in summer, bluish-grey in winter, with white rump and under part of the tail snow white.
Wherever it is found, the White-tail affords excellent rifle shooting, and the venison is always (when in season) of first-rate quality. The antlers are good, carrying usually about 12 points; but specimens are occasionally secured which show more than 20. A smaller race of this species (Mazama americana mexicana) is found in Mexico, and this or a very similar type of deer is found also in South America as far as Peru, Bolivia, and Guiana.
Mule and Black-tail Deer. - These animals are described elsewhere. is a Marsh Deer (Mazama [Blastoceros] dichotoma). A large South American deer, very little known to British gunners. Its habitat extends from Brazil to the wooded parts of Argentina, and it is found in fair plenty in Brazil and Paraguay, and in lesser numbers in Uruguay and Entre Rios. This fine and handsome deer, the males equalling in size a Highland stag, having a bright chestnut coat in summer, and a darker and browner pelage in winter. The antlers are of very curious type, not often exceeding 24 inches in length, and usually carrying from eight to ten points. Occasionally heads are seen bearing as many as 13 and even more points, but these are rare.
The Marsh deer runs in small herds, frequenting by choice heavy jungles near the larger rivers. It lies up, well hidden, during most of the day, coming forth to feed towards evening. It is a shy and wary deer, and from its habit of concealment very difficult of approach. The flesh, as is so often the case with swamp and waterloving deer and antelopes, is not very palatable. Nevertheless, the antlers form a good trophy, and this deer is well worthy of pursuit.
Pampas Deer (M. [Blastoceros] bezoartica). This is a considerably smaller deer, allied to the last-named species, and found from Brazil to Northern Patagonia.
It carries short antlers, bearing nearly always six points.
Peruvian Guemal (Mazama antisiensis) and Chilian Guemal (M. bisulca). These are deer of moderate size, stout and rather [DEER clumsy of build, and having thick, brittle pelage of pale yellowish-brown hue. The antlers are short, seldom exceeding ten inches, and each bearing two points. The Chilian race is rather smaller than the Peruvian.
The former of these hardy deer inhabit the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Northern Chili, and are found maintaining an existence at heights varying from 11,000 to 16,000 feet. The Chilian race is found in the Andes of Southern Chili as well as all through Patagonia, chiefly in the forest regions of the mountain valleys.
In winter it descends to the plains, but is seldom found far from the mountain bases.
Wood Brocket (Mazama nemorivaga).- A very small deer, standing about 19 inches in height, and carrying very short, spiked antlers, measuring no more than 3 or 4 inches. There are several races of brocket, all found in the tropical regions of Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia, and Trinidad. Some, as the Red brocket and the Wood brocket, are found in forest or thin jungle, while the Black-faced brocket of Ecuador inhabits mountain regions at an elevation of at least 12,000 feet.
Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus).-A small deer, standing at its highest part, the rump, about 22 inches. It bears no antlers in either sex, and is distinguished by its coarse, brittle coat-something like that of the African klipspringer-and by the long, sharp, protruding upper tusks of the male. In the males, too, are borne the gland-like pouch of musk from which this species obtains its name. Found in high forest regions, at an elevation of 8,000 feet, during summer, in the Himalayan system, as well as in the mountains of Tibet, Siberia, Amurland, and Western China.
H. A. BRYDEN.
DEERSTALKING. - This sport as now carried on in the Scottish Highlands is one that has changed but little since guns and rifles, bullets and villainous saltpetre first made their appearance on the hills; the weapons themselves have been improved, and have been coupled with the later advent of the telescope or spyglass, but these are the only alterations that have taken place in the manner of carrying on the sport. The space placed at my disposal will not permit a discussion of the political or economical aspects of the deer forests, or the sport provided by each individual one; moreover, for the purposes of this work such a treatise would be unnecessary, and out of place, but those who are greatly interested in the doings of stagland will find in my books, After J. G. Millais.
RED DEER.
BRIXTON, S.W.
THE TATE LIBRARY, DEER-STALKING] Deerstalking and The Deer Forests of Scotland, further information on the subject. In this article I propose to confine myself to trying to tell the novice how best to carry on his sport, so that he may acquit himself creditably on the never-to-be-forgotten day of his first stag.
Weapon. First, then, comes the rifle, and undoubtedly the single-barrel small bore of the present day is ousting from its pride of place the deerstalker's old friend, the double-barrelled 450. The Mannlicher 256, and the Government 303, adapted for sporting purposes, are the weapons of the future. With good reason, too, for they are very much less expensive, have greater accuracy, no recoil, no smoke, less weight, and, where more than two shots require to be fired in quick succession, they are much speedier to use than our old friend the double-barrelled express. Provided, then, that the ammunition be of the right kind, and the cartridge made so as to ensure the "mushrooming" of the bullets, these small bores with their six cartridges, one in the barrel and five in the magazine, are at the present time the very best the deerstalker can carry. Moreover, they are made so well that they will put a ball into a three-inch bull's eye at 100 yards. But whatever sort of rifle be used, on no account take one to the hill that has not stops to it, for there is nothing more dangerous to all concerned.
As to the rifle sights, there are various descriptions in use, all of which are good; the most common is the V sight, and the more obtuse the angle of the V, the easier it becomes to use this sight for stalking purposes. Then there is the Layman sight, the bar sight, and the "nick" sight, and one of the four is generally used by the deerstalker. The V sight has far the largest number of patrons, but it is easier to shoot with a "thick" sight of this description than a "thin " one. Cut A will show best what is meant by a "thick" sight, set exactly for a shot at 100 yards, while cut B will explain what is meant by a "thin" sight set right for a hit at a similar distance.
Now, most men will find it easier to use sight A than sight B. Each will be "good" for a kill at from 80 to 120 yards, between A B which distances the greatest number of shots at deer are delivered. At nearer ranges, say from 70 to 40 yards, the A sight must either be seen much finer, if aiming at the heart, VOL. II or held as in the cut and directed well underneath the heart. Now, in the B sight, in taking a shot at close quarters and aiming for the heart, the fore-sight, to ensure a bull's-eye, ought to become well-nigh invisible, and this is something very difficult to remember and put into practice in the excitement of a stalk. The light is often bad, and the shooter, longing to see a little more of his mark, raises his head, thereby making the thin sight into a thick one.
Then he has the mortification of hearing and seeing his bullet smack on the stones, or cut up the peat, quite true in direction, but just over the back of his quarry.
Those who are purchasing rifles, or who are not making good shooting with the one they possess, will do well to try the various sights in use, for peculiarity of vision and. the distance of the back-sight from the eye will often make a vast difference to those who are not doing well with the rifles they are using. Personally the writer could never shoot well at deer with either of these sights. He then tried the bar sight, which the annexed cut explains.
The inverted V is made of platinum, and the fore-sight of white enamel. For liberty of vision and quick aiming the writer has found this beat all other sights. Its very formation ensures, unless the shooter have ،، stag fever," that it be held staight; and the sight thus held (though one may, as with other sights, easily shoot under or over a deer through misjudging the distance), it is quite impossible to perpetrate the atrocity of "haunching him," so often occurring when the V sight is used, and not kept perfectly upright. The "nick" sight speaks for itself, the nick above the inverted V of ivory or platina being exactly filled by the fore-sight at 100 yards. This sight, however, is not nearly so quick and ready to the eye for moving shots as the bar or the obtuse V sight.
If money be of no great account, "the gentleman," as distinguished from the stalker, is advised to fit himself out with an aluminium spy-glass for his own special use. The difference in weight between that metal and bronze is well worth considering in a long day's tramping over the hills. reason The power of a spy-glass is determined by the length of draw; for this reason binoculars are of but little use to the deerstalker, for if made with tubes of sufficient length to give power enough to distinguish G a دو royal from a six-pointer at over a mile, they are so bulky to carry, and so liable by a chance blow to have the two tubes knocked out of the exact parallel, that, as far as the Highlands are concerned, binoculars are only used when a telescope is not to be had.
Costume. Rifle and spy-glass both being in readiness, let the deerstalker take the hill, clad in the most suitable coloured raiment for the ground over which he is to pursue his sharp-eyed quarry. It is as well to gain previous information on this subject, but if none is attainable, then the Black Mount, or Mar, "mixtures," or a light coloured "Lovat" will be nearly sure to be suitable. Colour is not of extreme importance unless it becomes, as is frequently the case, necessary to creep across a stretch of peat, or rock, or heather in full sight of a herd of deer only about five hundred yards distant. On attempting such a ticklish movement, the forester may often be seen to exchange his own coat with the ponyman or gillie, should either of them chance to be wearing one harmonising better with that special bit of ground.
Wear flannel shirts, and, if the ankles are sound, stout and well-nailed shoes with spats are better than boots. Stand fast to the old-fashioned knickerbockers instead of wearing the modern and smarter-looking knicker breeches, which do not permit of free play to the calf or the tendons under the knee. Have all pockets made to button up, which will often save the loss of pipe or tobacco-box, &c., for when it comes to slithering down a steep hillside at best pace, the coat pockets are usually nearer to one's ears than to that part of the body they are intended to cover. A neutraltinted macintosh of medium material, cut like a covert coat, but looser and more roomy, is the best sort of wrap to take to the hill. It weighs but little, is easily carried, will be sure to keep both back and chest dry, and does not get appreciably heavier by the absorption of rain.
Ponies. Should your host place a forest pony at your disposal to carry you to and from your stalking ground, never on any pretence gallop it, for these ponies are, as a rule, entirely grass-fed, and are therefore in no condition for such violent exercise, and are easily made brokenwinded. These animals can always be relied on implicitly on the darkest of nights, and, however bad the track may be, if the rider will but trust them, he is sure to be brought safely home.
Training. With regard to personal condition, if plenty of golf and lawn-tennis [DEER-STALKING has been played during the summer months, and hill-walking be not an entire novelty, most shooters will find themselves fairly fit at the commencement of the season, while each day on the hill will make them more so. The Swiss Alpine guides have a very good maxim, and recommend one "to start as if one never meant to get to the journey's end." Sound advice, too, for there are many who find the first hour's walking the most fatiguing of the whole day. Therefore when, soon after setting out, a long and steep hill has to be negotiated, stop to admire the view the moment nature warns that too great a strain is being placed on the pumping powers of the heart.
Many a good man has seriously injured himself by trying to "live" with a practised and well-trained walker during the ascent of a high and severe hill. I have on several occasions seen tall heavy men of splendid physique quite beaten, and distressed to actual sickness, if out of condition, towards the end of a long day, when all chance of sport was over, as dusk came on and there remained a bad ten miles' tramp to the lodge. “ In mounting a very steep hillside of rolling stones or screggans," it will be easier and quicker to ascend crabwise, with feet and body at right angles to the slope of the hill. Also, should it happen, when making a dash down a steep hill to cut off moving deer or a wounded beast, that a slip be made, and the shooter begin to roll, then let him turn instantly on his face and stick the toes into the first thing they meet, which will usually bring him safely to an anchor.
Sometimes during September the weather is so close and hot, even on the high hilltops, that the heat and hard work tend to make the stalker very thirsty, but in such a case let him not stop and take a cup of water at every spring. Resist the thirst, and by degrees it will vanish, or if very done up, kneel down at the first spring to be met with, and, holding the head low, let the attendant pour cold water over the nape of the neck, which will be found a wonderful refresher. If your own flask contains anything more stimulating than cold tea (that abomination!), carry it in your own pocket, for it is extraordinary how unfortunate some flask-bearing gillies are, for when carried in their pockets the very best made ones will leak! Carry a white pocket handkerchief; it will be useful for signalling to ponyman or gillie, and may also be further utilised to pin on your stalker's back during a tramp home across country on a dark night. Such signal being once hoisted, DEER-STALKING] keep pretty close to it, and pull up short if it vanishes, when the chances are it will be seen reappearing from a burn or a hole into which the bearer has fallen headlong. A stout birch or hazel stick some eight inches longer than the Piccadilly type, will now complete the stalker's outfit. Should he wish to cut notches in this stick for every stag killed, why, it is a harmless amusement; but it is subject to the temptation, often overpowering, to cut a notch for an escaped and wounded stag, sure to die " across the march. 66 Stalking. It goes without saying that deer must be stalked up wind or on a side wind, so that they cannot get the scent of the stalkers. The actual distance at which deer will take the scent of a man varies according to the force of the wind and the conformation of the ground; when it is blowing fairly hard, it is certainly not safe to pass within a mile of a herd; and I once saw deer in a gale take the scent of a man and a pony (a stronger smelling animal than a man) fully a mile and a half off. As a rule, deer move up wind as they feed, and when alarmed, provided there are no adjacent sheep fences to head them, though they may gallop off down wind, they will surely circle round and eventually head up it. It should be borne in mind that the air currents in a narrow glen always move up or down it, although the true wind may be blowing directly across it; indeed, the eccentricities of the wind are numberless, and it is a matter of daily occurrence to see masses of low-lying vapour rolling up with the wind to meet others advancing at a higher level from an entirely opposite direction. Therefore, when nearing deer, if there is a shifty wind which there is every reason to distrust, pull out the spy-glass and try to make out which way the grasses are blowing at the point you wish to gain.
Then, guided by the result of your observations, finish the stalk as promptly as possible. In the middle of the day, deer usually lie down and will sometimes so remain for two or three hours, and nothing is more vexatious than passing such a period some hundred and fifty yards from them. The temptation to take a lying shot becomes very great, but it is far better not to do this, for deer are very easy to miss in such a position.
A sharp shower will be nearly certain to cause deer to rise, so that they may shake the wet off them, and thus a ducking is often welcomed by those who have been lying a long time within shot. Thunder also frightens deer very much, and will frequently cause a stampede of several miles. If on a steep hillside, the biggest stags are usually nearest the base of the hill, with the smaller stags and the hinds above them. When lying in a position like this, most of them will be looking straight down hill, and, of course, if there is a strong wind, they will be on the sheltered side of the valley. Then deer are nearly unapproachable; to get in from up wind and below is hopeless, while to attempt a down wind stalk, trusting to the force of the gale carrying one's scent right over the deer, is well-nigh as desperate, so that when deer are in a place of this sort it is wiser to wait and watch their movements or to pass them undisturbed and look for others in more favourable places. Unless suspicious, or disturbed by grouse, fox, raven, &c., deer rarely look up hill, and for this reason it is always better to stalk down hill, and if the wind permits, manœuvre so as to get the sun at your back and in their eyes. In strong sunshine, with a dress suitable to the colour of the ground, a good stalker can take great liberties. In large herds, sentinel work appears to be deputed entirely to the hinds, and though the sight of neither hind nor stag is marvellously sharp, both are uncommonly quick at detecting any movement at close quarters. Deer startled early in the day will be apt to shift their ground further afield, and even when settled down again, will be far more restless than those disturbed at feeding time in the afternoon. Again, on fine calm days they will not move nearly so far as on cold days, with a strong wind blowing. Indeed, in very high winds, deer play fanciful tricks, and will start suddenly of their own accord and dash off full tilt for a mile or two for no discernible reason. On such days, unless the wind is in exactly the right airt for the ground, it is far wiser to stay at home and leave the forest quiet. In fine warm weather, the big stags will mostly be on the highest hills, and on wet stormy days on lower ground. They are sharply observant of other creatures, and if grouse, fox, or other creatures have been disturbed by man, they know it at once, though if either one or the other is moving for its own convenience, they do not display the least sign of alarm.
About the beginning of the last week of September-the 26th is the precise day known as the "day of the roaring "-the stags commence to bellow and seek the hinds.
To me the roar has always seemed to be more of a love-sick than an angry sound, and although I have had many years of stalking, it has never been my good fortune G2 to witness a combat à outrance between two big stags. That they do so fight is undoubted, and instances are recorded where the bodies of two stags have been found with horns locked together. I have at this period of the year seen many smart skirmishes in the forest, and often had a laugh at the quick way in which the lesser or weaker stag would find discretion the better part of valour, and turn tail after the exchanges of a few rounds had assured him of his antagonist's superiority. Many friends who have been associated with deer forests for years tell me that they also have never witnessed any duel to the death, and I am of opinion that encounters of this sort are few and far between. As the rutting season begins, the stags start on their travels, in search of hinds, wandering singly or in small companies, and as long as the wind keeps in one quarter, they will travel up it to very great distances. In fact, at this period, and with the wind in any one particular airt for a month or so at a stretch, a not very large forest may become almost denuded of its best stags, during all of which time the lessee will be gnashing his teeth with vexation, for he will know that there are sure to be sharp eyes on the lookout across the march. At this season also stags will travel by water as well as by land, for they are bold, strong, fast swimmers, and think but little of swimming a mile.
In starting out for a day on the hill let the "gentleman" make sure for himself that cartridges, coats, flask, lunch, pipe and tobacco are all with him, for in many parts of the Highlands it is thought to bring bad luck to turn back for anything after having once made a start. Especially let him see after his own cartridges, for I have known several instances of 500-bore cartridges being taken out for a 450 rifle, and the discovery not made until many miles from home with deer in sight!
As soon as the stalking party reach the first spying-place, out come the glasses, and the novice will not find it such a simple matter as it sounds to search a corrie thoroughly. The best spying position is to lie nearly flat on the back with a rock or hillock to support the shoulders. Draw up the knees, fix the glass firmly against the inside of the left leg, and it can be held perfectly steady even in high wind. Practice alone will make an adept at "picking up" deer, but absolute immovability of the glass is the first thing necessary to ensure success. It is as well to learn to use the glass with both eyes, and when the ability to do so has been acquired, then use the left eye if spying shortly before expecting [DEER-STALKING to shoot, which does away with any danger of the shooting eye becoming "dazed." To use the left eye will feel very awkward at first, but practice will soon overcome that sensation.
When deer are lying quite still in broken ground, the beginner may often have the exact spot pointed out to him, and yet be wholly unable to find them. As soon as a shootable stag has been found, the novice must perforce put himself in his stalker's hands, but after a few shots and careful watching of the modus operandi he should be allowed the satisfaction of finishing the last two or three hundred yards for himself.
Even in that short distance he will find himself making many errors and losing much valuable time in reaching a position, from which he may find it necessary to retreat, whereas if it had been left to the stalker he would, from his better knowledge of the ground, have been able to go straight to his quarry. Those few minutes gained often make just the difference between an easy shot and a difficult one, or perhaps no shot at all; nevertheless, the "gentleman" will have had more sport and fun if he takes the lead when nearing his quarry, and even if the worst come to the worst, and he put the stag away, that will be a lesson for a future opportunity. No great harm is done, and anything is better than being led about all day even by the best of foresters. To me it is quite wonderful how few sportsmen there are who stalk for themselves; and personally, were I able to rent a forest supposed to be good for, say, fifty stags, then I would rather kill but ten, alone and unaided, than the full allowance with the assistance of the professional stalker. There can be no doubt about it that many stags are missed by novices through the stalker being the leading man at the critical moment of taking the shot. دو When crawling uphill or on level ground, always advance head first; but in creeping downhill, let the feet go first; in very flat crawls, punt yourself along with the elbows, and be careful to keep the legs straight to the ground, for somehow or other in a creep of this sort they have a determined tendency to "cock up and throw themselves above the level of the head. When crawling, hold the rifle across the body, keep close to the stalker if he is in front, and be sure to keep as low as he does, for one who knows his business will often only be an inch or two out of the view of the quarry. It is unfair to him if you, by keeping a few inches higher, let the deer into the secret just at the end of the sport. With regard to this crawling DEER-STALKING] or creeping, simple as it sounds, and painful as it often is, there is a right and a wrong way of doing it. Do not move as if "playing at bear" with children, for in that style your tail will be a good bit higher than your head, which is a sight that deer will not stay long to admire. Keep nearly flat; place the hands far in front and well apart; stretch the legs at nearly full length; turn out the feet, and then, with knees barely touching the earth, you will acquire a crocodile-like motion to which you will soon get used. When moving in this way the eyes, with the exception of the very top of your head, become the highest parts of the body. As to stag fever," neither whiskey nor advice will cure it; and the best remedy is a course of a few downright bad misses. In getting up to deer 66 ،، see quick movement, bring the eye into sight of the quarry: and then, if the stag is standing broadside on, put the rifle-sights on the inside of his nearest foreleg; raise them slowly till they meet the body, and squeeze the trigger gently when you brown." This was the maxim of the late Colonel Campbell, of Monzie, and there was no one in all Scotland more able to give advice on such a matter. Do not fire at deer standing end-on or facing you, but bide your time, and they will usually offer a fair chance. In shooting downhill, sit up by degrees; plant the heels firmly in the ground and rest both elbows on the thighs.
Your rifle will be in vice-like rest, and far more steady than if only one elbow were rested. In uphill shots, seek for a big stone or tussock against which to rest the SPYING FROM RISING GROUND. never crawl over a boulder or hillock or anything to bring you into the skylinecreep slowly round all such obstacles, and you will rarely be detected.
Shooting. We will now suppose the novice and the stalker are within shot of a good stag; they have crawled, slithered, run, waited, and done all that was possible to outwit their quarry, and the next minute will decide whether all their toil and trouble has been in vain. It is small wonder that anxiety should take possession of the shooter, for up to this time all responsibility has been with the stalker. He has done his work right well; and now will his "gentleman" follow the good example? In taking a first shot, remember you must at least show your head. Nor need you be afraid to do this, for it is impossible to make a good hit without fully seeing the object aimed at. But beginners are often so afraid of being detected that they will try to aim through heather or long grass. Very slowly, without any jerky, rifle, and put the left hand between the rifle and the rest, for if it be of stone there will be a jump," and the bullet will not speed truly. 66 In firing at walking, trotting, or galloping deer, practice alone will tell how far to hold in front; and, in the event of a miss, be careful to note where the bullet struck.
As a rule, at about one hundred yards, shoot right at a walking deer, for the bullet goes so quickly that even if it strike an inch or two behind the heart it will be fatal. At a deer trotting slowly, fire at the point of the shoulder; but at one stepping out at a good pace, just see daylight in front of him and then pull. For a stag galloping as fast as he can, from two to three feet may be "borrowed," and I think all shots at moving deer are better taken off the shoulder than from a rest. In downhill shots, the aim should be a little under the heart; but in uphill ones, it should be rather over. In all shots, the cheek should be kept well glued down to the rifle-stock. If a long run has been made, and the firing and halting point are reached almost simultaneously, and exertion has reduced the shooter to panting, the rifle will be held more steadily if it is aimed and emptied in the few seconds between exhaling and again inhaling. No stag should be fired at if over two hundred yards away; but when the light is good, and he is broadside-on, he should be killed at that distance. The directions of the late Lord Lovat for judging the distance at which a deer stands from the shooter are so good and so accurate that, in the interests of my readers, I cannot refrain from quoting them. Says Lord Lovat:- "Up to eighty yards the deer's eye is to be seen distinctly; at one hundred yards the shape of the eye is no longer discernible, but only the dark line is visible. Up to one hundred and fifty the ears are plainly to be seen, but at two hundred they are well-nigh invisible; so, unless the ears are distinct, it is better not to fire."
If you miss with the right barrel, do not empty the left in a hurry; take time to steady yourself, and then seize the first fair chance. Should that not present itself, it is better not to fire at all, for it is of very little use “loosing off" at deer end-on to you; but if you are unable to resist the temptation, then pitch the rifle-sight quickly in the centre of the horns directly above the top of the skull, and pull as if taking a snapshot with a gun. Such a shot rarely comes off, but if it does the deer is killed stone dead, and all risk of "haunching" him is avoided. Should both barrels be emptied in vain, then, in the name of all that is sportsmanlike, do not sit down and open fire at random and as fast as you can blaze away. After missing with both barrels, keep as much concealed and as quiet as possible, but load again instantly in case the deer take a circle and offer really good second chances. If a beast drop to the shot, get up to him at once and as soon as possible, but reload before starting, and be careful to put the stops on. If the ball has gone high and just grazed the spine above the heart, but without breaking it, the stag will fall as if stone dead, and then in a few minutes he will recover himself and be gone. Nothing can be more vexing than to witness this resurrection while the shooter is yet a good way off, for the chance then offered will almost certainly be an end-on shot, which usually results in a miss and the loss of the beast.
Now and again it happens, when stalking near the march and spying into Naboth's vineyard, that Naboth himself [DEER-STALKING may be spied coming in pursuit of his deer.
Then, if he has not seen you first, it is as well to sit down quite hidden and watch his proceedings, for if he has deer in front of him he may possibly blunder and send them to you.
Perhaps the prettiest shot that can be given to a novice, and also one of the easiest, is cutting off deer feeding up wind, the détour of the stalker being so timed that, keeping a side wind, he arrives at the desired spot only a minute or two before the deer come feeding past it. A perfect knowledge of the ground and of the pace of the deer can alone ensure success in this description of stalking, for if anyone unaccustomed to it makes the attempt he is nearly sure to arrive at the selected spot after the deer have passed by, for when feeding they progress at a much greater rate than they would appear to. When this manœuvre is well carried out, it is most fascinating, for the shooter will be nearly certain to reach the firing-point hot and even breathless, but he has just sufficient time to settle himself comfortably and get a good rest, and then, while his blood is still "up," the deer pass slowly by. Hand and eye have had no time to grow nervous, and both combine to do him good service as he presses the trigger.
There is usually a mutual understanding "stalkers' law" on the marches known as of adjoining forests. The rule is that either party, finding deer on his own ground, but so close to the march that they cannot be stalked except by crossing it, may come over on to his neighbour's ground sufficiently far to hide his cap while crawling on hands and knees. At the same time it is best never to follow an injured beast across the march, and the usual plan is to send a letter to the owner of the adjoining ground, to tell him of the wounded one, and ask that his foresters be enjoined to keep a look out for it.
When a deer is palpably hit but recovers himself, remain hidden. Keep still and turn the glass on to him and try to see where he is wounded. He will be nearly certain to make for water adjacent to good cover, where he will hide himself, and if you can see him do this he should go to the larder, for he is usually an easy stalk when in such sorry plight. It is extraordinary how close a badly wounded stag will lie, and how cleverly, and in how small a hole he will conceal himself. When the surface is broken by watercourses and precipitous gullies overgrown with bracken and old heather, he will lie so close that he may easily be passed over. Therefore, if he DEER-STALKING] has vanished in such sort of ground, every bit of it should be carefully searched, and often he will start to life within a few yards. Nothing is more annoying than to lose a good beast through not making a sufficiently close search at the moment, and then perhaps ten days later to come upon the spoilt carcase, likely enough not twenty yards from the very line taken when searching for him. It sometimes happens that a deer unsights you the moment the shot is fired. If he does, get as fast as may be to some spot commanding a view of the flying herd. If the stag fired at is not with them, he will, more often than not, be found lying dead, or so badly hurt as to be incapable of flight. A not very up to my hips in a bit of green and very soft ground when but fifteen yards from him. Turning my back to him to extricate myself, a yell from the stalker warned me only just in time to put in a snap shot, for the deer had regained his legs and with a furious rush was coming full tilt for his destroyer. He fell with his nose nearly touching me.
In shooting at deer brought to bay by a dog, great care must be taken that the neck of the deer and the dog are not in the same line, and, with an active dog bounding about in front of the deer's head, one will often be obliged to wait some minutes ere a safe shot can be delivered.
Weight, &c. In most forests any stag THE CRAWL. severely wounded stag, if he detect your approach, is nearly certain to become a lost one, for he will not rest again until he has gone a great distance, and rendered pursuit almost hopeless. If a stag be struck in such a way that he cannot rise and is yet very strong and full of life, especially if he is sitting up and has the use of his fore-legs, be very careful about getting within reach of his horns, for he will stab viciously and make furious efforts to avenge himself.
Once only have I seen a wounded stag actually charge. He was hit high in the back (as it afterwards turned out, the spine was chipped but not broken), and as I ran with rifle in one hand, knife in the other, to give the coup de grâce, I plunged scaling sixteen stone clean-that is, without heart or liver is reckoned a really good one, and it is very rare for a hill stag to exceed twenty-one stone. Wood stags often top this weight, and the heaviest red stag about which I have ever been able to get absolutely authentic information was shot in the forest of Glenmore on October 2nd, 1877, by Lord Greville while on a visit to the late Earl of Stamford. It was a wood deer of eight good points and weighing thirty-three stone quite clean. Stags usually stay with the hinds till they are three years old, when they quit the nursery and go off to join their big brothers in the high hills. One of the most remarkable features of stag life is the extraordinary rapid growth of the horns. These are usually shed some time in the month of March, and by the end of July are again fully grown, though covered with velvet.
A healthy six-year-old beast will in about four months shoot out some twelve feet of horns, for, measuring all the points of a royal head which I once laid low, I found that the total length of horn came to 1407/2 inches. During the month of August the velvet is shed and the horns begin to appear in all their wild and beautiful outlines, and this period having been reached, the stag is now fair game for the stalker and his gentleman, and should either of them have derived pleasure or profit from the perusal [DEER-STALKING animals of the kind. There everything seems in their favour: rich Alpine pastures above, long healthy grass below, dense virgin woods with tall fern undergrowth, and sunny glades in their midst, deep valleys with precipitous timber-covered cliffs on either side, and clear trout streams flowing at their bottom.
The reader can easily understand the complete difference between Scotch and Caucasian stalking. In Scotland, after a luxurious breakfast, you start, generally on horseback, with an experienced stalker at your heels, and sometimes with numerous gillies behind with luncheon baskets and deersaddles; in the Caucasus, accompanied by WITHIN RANGE. of this short essay I shall indeed be flat- half-wild natives, with a bit of bread and tered.
AUGUSTUS GRIMBLE. [See also RED DEER.] a DEERSTALKING IN THE CAU- CASUS.-The sportsman who wishes to add to his numerous trophies that of Caucasian stag must make up his mind that deerstalking in the Caucasus differs entirely from deerstalking in the Scotch Highlands, where the beginner usually gets his first shot. By the Caucasus is meant more particularly the Kouban district, which extends, northwards of the main range, between the Black Sea and the Rostov-Wladikavkaz Railway; for in this part, undoubtedly, are to be found the finest heads and largest cheese in your pocket, starting from camp before sunrise and generally on foot, you have to toil up steep ravines for hours through dense underwood, through wild blackcurrant or raspberry bushes, stopping now and then to take breath, and to look up at the coveted ridge which seems as far from you as when you started. Then, picking yourself up, you continue your acrobatic performance over huge fallen trees that have been lying there for years and into which you plunge knee-deep until, utterly exhausted, you reach a spot whence you "may" hear one of those magnificent calls which make your heart leap for joy! In Scotland your pony brings you to the high grounds, whence you begin spying DEER-STALKING] and usually very soon discover several herds grazing on the other side of a corrie; you only have to pick out the best head, and sometimes wait till they feed towards an easier spot. If you score a miss, you generally get a second chance on your way home. In the Caucasus, owing to forests covering the greater part of the ground, telescopes are hardly of any use, and field glasses come in much handier. On reaching the timber line, or some place below it, you unsling your rifle, which has been seeming to you an eighty-ton gun, and finally sit down to listen. You may lie there the whole day without hearing a single call; or if you do, the stag may be at such a distance that you cannot possibly get back to camp before nightfall. If the animal is within reach, you may try the stalk and get within a hundred yards of him, yet never see him, for if a stray whiff of your wind (wind being very shifty in the Caucasus) reaches his nostrils, you will probably not catch sight of him at all; bending his head back so as to keep his antlers well out of the way, he will sneak off through the bushes without the slightest noise, as if he were not larger than a fox. I have been myself within thirty yards of a roaring stag, the wind as I thought being steady, and yet I could neither see him nor hear him go. Motionless I waited for a good hour after he had stopped calling, thinking he was still close at hand, while he was perhaps already miles away. My hunter, whom I had left some way off, told me afterwards that he had seen the animal come out of the brushwood in a crouching position, with his horns laid along his back, and make off in this manner till he probably thought himself safe, when he suddenly galloped away. On the other hand, the finest trophy obtained in the autumn of 1895 by one of our party was a twenty-one pointer (span 58/2 in., girth between bez and trez 8 in., rosette 11/2 in., length along outer curve 44½ in., length of brow antlers 21 in., weight before cleaning 21/2 puds, i.e., 53 st. 4 lb.), killed while asleep at the distance of twenty yards! Another one that year, also a very good head, was bagged in the same way.
The Caucasian stag is a most capricious beast; in some seasons, as I was told by native hunters, he will not call at all, in others he will scarcely stop roaring the whole day, excepting between 1 and 3 p.m., during the greatest heat. One year, as I myself can testify, stags would not call properly, i.e., they would only call every half hour or so; the weather being very fine, the natives suggested that it was owing to the intense heat. Gradually the temperature changed from day to day until the ground was everywhere covered by a couple of feet of snow. Stags, nevertheless, did not improve their calling. We left the hills that year on September 28th, and very likely they began after our premature departure.
Another curious fact I noticed one year was that although the roaring was fairly good at one of our early camps, for four or five days afterwards not a call was to be heard, although the weather was as settled as could be wished. Eventually they began again, but nobody could account for this interval of silence. From this it will be apparent that deer-stalking in the Caucasus can only take place during the rutting time, which usually lasts a month, beginning from the middle of September, although, according to the difference of seasons and other unknown factors to the moon, as natives often say it may begin earlier, or end later.
I have occasionally tried wandering about the woods in search of stags while they were not calling, and although numerous fresh tracks were to be seen everywhere, such as twigs and young trees stripped of their bark, or places where they had been scraping, although even the strong scent emitted during the rutting-time was perceptible, I never had the good luck to come upon one in this manner.
In winter, deer come down from high ground in search of food, sometimes to the vicinity of Cossack villages, where they are unsparingly slaughtered, hinds and all, by native hunters, who at that time of year have no other occupation, and are continually on the look out for them. They feed on the meat, make straps of the hide, and sell the horns, or convert them into dagger handles. An average of ten roubles (fr sterling) is what they can get out of a stag, and for that sum many an inhabitant of the Caucasus would not mind dismissing his neighbour.
At the present time the localities where stags are most numerous are in the preserves of His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Sergius Mikhailovitch, son of the Grand Duke Michael, formerly Viceroy of the Caucasus. His shooting grounds stretch over an area of 400,000 acres, taking in all the country north-westwards of the larger Laba, the main range being its boundary to the south. The sportsman would therefore have to look eastwards towards Mount Elbruz in the numerous parallel valleys of the Kouban tributaries.
Unfortunately, unless strict measures be shortly taken, and game laws reinforced, deer will rapidly decrease, and perhaps soon entirely disappear, in the unpreserved grounds of the Caucasus.
While out in the Kouban district last year, I had ample opportunity to convince myself of the abundance of poachers, who mostly come over the main range from the Black Sea side, and deliberately shoot every animal that comes within range of their rifle; in fact, I do not exaggerate when I say that I found nearly as many tracks of hunters in the woods as I did of stags. A friend of mine actually stalked a herd of Ibex simultaneously with one of those poachers who was approaching the same herd from a different direction, and eventually got the first shot. Government foresters themselves, buried as they are in those wilds, have the right of shooting any beast they come across for their living, and, distances A RECORD HEAD. being out of proportion to their number, they cannot possibly stop unlawful proceedings. Moreover, with the view of encouraging horse and cattle breeding in the Caucasus, an Ukase of the Emperor has given natives the right, in consideration of a small tribute, to turn all their horses, sheep, and cattle during the summer months on to the Alpine pastures. At the head of every valley a large brown patch on the grass denotes the presence in the neighbourhood of a few thousand sheep and several shepherds, who not only make noise enough with their songs, but also bring their wretched guns and occasionally wound an animal, which goes away to die, perhaps at some distance. This being the case, the stags are evidently frightened out of their wits by the noise and constant traffic, and consequently will only roar-if a few grunts can be called roaring at night time, taking the greatest precautions, and ceasing before 4 a.m.; in the daytime not a sound is to be heard from them. I noticed this a [DEER-STALKING fact in the autumn of 1896, when we camped six weeks in the hills during the best time and never got a single shot; but, of course, it may have been an exceptionally bad year.
I have remarked that as a rule during the rutting time Caucasian stags are most likely to be found in glades just under high wooded ridges, or among willow trees on the timber line; but I have also often heard stags call low down by the streams, or half way up steep banks of ravines.
Shells, tin horns, and other instruments are frequently used for calling stags, though natives never employ anything but the dry stems of large Umbellifera, from which they short thick cylinder, and with it cut a imitate very successfully the stag's call.
Excepting on the Grand Duke's grounds, where a numerous staff of " jägers" strictly protect the game from incursions of poachers and keep down vermin, including bears, of which they destroy an average of seventy a year, stags are growing very scarce, and the sportsman who succeeds in getting two or three shots during the whole rutting season may consider himself fairly fortunate. But then he may obtain a trophy of which he may be justly proud! As already stated, the largest and finest heads are to be found in the district about Kouban.
There are said to be large deer in Daghestan, but I have never seen a really good head that was procured there. I have shot a good twelve-pointer to the south of the main range in the Borjom District, but there can be no comparison with our Kouban trophies of 1895, amongst which, for instance, six out of seven heads measured above 45 in. in length and above 7 in. in girth between bez and trez tines, most of them being 14 and 16 pointers. These were shot in the Grand Duke's preserves. The keepers told me that in winter they often see herds of from 15 to 20 head lying on the snow, 24 pointers being not uncommon amongst them, and the size of the antlers of unusual dimensions.
I always rely on the experience of native hunters to judge a stag by his voice, and am inclined to believe that they are rarely mistaken. What I noticed was that loud, frequent calls seldom denote heavy old animals, while low deep grunts, cautiously delivered and hardly perceptible at a great distance, are generally emitted from the throat of a "royal." Locating the sound, especially of the latter, which is singularly ventriloquial, is not an easy task. It requires a great deal of practice and knowledge of the ground, every boulder changing the direction of the sound. Moreover, DEER-STALKING] Caucasian valleys being very deep, with steep lateral hollows, and very precipitous cliffs, the echo is naturally greater and more apt to puzzle one. I have several times been a victim of this deceit. I remember once, after a hard day's crawling through fallen timber, towards evening I suddenly heard a loud challenge, at what I considered a hundred yards below me, so crept down cautiously in the direction of the voice! As I approached, the calls seemed to come from further and further till they completely ceased. Having reached the bottom of the ravine and the place being clear of trees, I looked around me, but seeing no signs of stag, and light growing dim, I was about to give up the chase when up started a fine old beast twenty yards off from behind a thick stump.
My companion explained to me that this stag had been probably standing when his voice had seemed so near to us, after which he lay down behind the stump; this was enough entirely to alter the direction of the sound and make us think that he had gone at least 500 yards away.
The inhabitants of those parts of the Caucasus are either Cossacks, Russian settlers since the Caucasian War, or regular natives belonging to different tribes, all Mahommedans having been for centuries under Turkish dominion. When passing through a village your guide will unfailingly say either "This is a Cossack Stanitza" (village), or "This is an Asiatic one," meaning that it is inhabited by Russians or by Mahommedans. This classification of natives in two groups is plainly marked by a difference of language and altogether different customs and mode of living. These peculiarities are pointed out in order that the sportsman who intends to camp out in the hills for a month may see the necessity for choosing reliable companions. "Asiatics" are undoubtedly the laziest and most unwilling creatures imaginable, but on the other hand they are better mountaineers than the Cossacks, and make up the contingent of native hunters. The dilemma may be solved by taking out Cossacks for camp work and Asiatics for hunting, ting although you can never be sure that they will not refuse to follow you. On our last trip we actually had to hire a cook for our Asiatic staff, otherwise they refused to go.
These fellows being inveterate thieves, precaution should be taken to keep one's goods constantly under key. Their ponies are considerably better: as durable as can be, accustomed to hard mountain work, the deepest ridges being accessible to them. Their regu- THE TATE LIBRARY, BRIXTON, S.W. lation load is 200 lbs., though their proprietors never cease to grumble, insisting that they are too heavily laden. One rouble (2s.) a day for a man, and as much for each horse, is what I have generally paid, though, to judge by their satisfaction, it is probably too much; the same fee for the hunters, with an occasional tip at the end according to behaviour. One man usually leads two ponies; our attempts to make them take three ponies each were unsuccessful-in fact, we were nearly induced last year to mount the men, the district "Ataman," or chief, having told us that they would never consent to go on foot!
From London via Vienna eighty hours will bring you to Odessa, whence ships sail twice a week or more to Novorossisk, and another eight hours will carry you to the Rostov-Vladikavkaz Railway, whence one can branch off for the hills at Armavir, Nevinomisk, or any other station in the neighbourhood. There are plenty of villages at the foot of the hills where one can find some sort of lodging, and ponies may be obtained everywhere. The best stalking grounds beyond the Grand Duke's preserves are the Urup and Zelentchuk Valleys up to the main range, though they will probably be preserved within a short time. The sportsman will then have to try the valleys eastwards, viz., the Teberda and Aksaout Valleys, which hold not only stags, but also Ibex, especially towards the sources of their tributaries, such as the river Marko and others.
Regarding the battery to take out, every sportsman has, of course, his own ideas on the subject. It is impossible to point out why a Mannlicher is better than a Mauser, or the latter worse than a 300 Express.
Some prefer one pattern, some another.
For my part, I have invariably taken out with me a pair of Purdey's '303's, double barrelled and hammerless (which have proved very useful at long ranges), as well as a 450 magnum Express for stags.
I have never been able to make up my mind to shoot the large Caucasian stag with a 303, and yet it is beyond doubt that, if hit in the forepart, the stag will fall as well to a 303 bullet as to a 577 one. The '303 has the advantage of a flat trajectory, and therefore possesses greater accuracy-and long shots are often required; yet I cannot help thinking that it is too small a bore for so large an animal. For Chamois, Ibex, or Mouflon, it is an invaluable weapon, the 450 magnum doing well for deer.
In conclusion, I may observe that although sport may be difficult, game scarce, and autumn weather showery and cold, it is nevertheless a most enjoyable trip, if only patience be rewarded by some fine Caucasian trophy.
E. DEMIDOFF PRINCE SAN-DONATO.
Bibliography. Forest Sketches: Deer Stalking and Other Sports in the Highlands Fifty Years Ago, Wm. Scrope (Edmonston and Douglas), 1865; Encyclopædia of Rural Sports, D. P. Blaine (Longmans), 1870; Handbook of Deer Stalking, Alex Macrae (Blackwood), 1880; On the Grampian Hills, F. F. Whitehurst (Tinsley), 1882; Days of Deer Stalking in the Scottish Highlands, Wm. Scrope, Ist edition, 1838 (Hamilton), 1883; Short Sketches of the Wild Sports and Natural History of the Scottish Highlands, C. W. G. St.
John (Hamilton), 1888; Deer Stalking in the Highlands of Scotland, H. H. Crealoch (Longmans), 1892; Scotch Deerhounds and their Masters, G. Cupples (Blackwood), 1894; The Art of Deer Stalking, Wm. Scrope, new edition by Sir H. Maxwell (Arnold), 1897; British Deer and their Homes, J. G. Millais (Sotheran), 1897; Red Deer: Natural History, by Rev. H. A.
Macpherson-Deer Stalking, by Cameron of Lochiel-Staghunting, by Viscount Ebrington (Longmans), 1897; The Country of the Wild Red Deer, Homeland's Association Handbooks, No. 12, F. J. Snell (The St. Bride's Press), 1900; Stalking Sketches, Captain H. Hart-Davis (Cox), 1904; The Still Hunter, D. Van Dyke (Macmillan, N.Y.), 1904. DOGS. Although much ingenuity has been displayed in endeavouring to prove the origin of the domestic dog from various crosses between so-called wild dogs, wolves, foxes, &c., the matter is still one of supposition. The dog (canis familiaris) is a natural development, and the varieties were produced primarily by accident, by selection, by the surroundings under which they have lived, such as climate, food, training, &c., and latterly by selection only. All facts and researches prove that in various parts of the world and in various ages, different species or varieties of the wild canida were gradually brought into a state of domestication, and therefrom the dog, as we know him now, has been developed a process which has taken many thousand years to perfect. “ Only Sporting Dogs, or such as are used for the purposes of giving amusement to their owners, or for providing them with food, are dealt with here, and no doubt this sporting division," if it may be so called, is much older, and dates much further back, than such animals as are used for pets, even than those which have been trained to guard the flocks, or used as beasts of burden, as food, or in the many other duties in which they have been found valuable. Primeval man had his dogs, semi-wild creatures no doubt, but they assisted him in the chase which was to provide him with food. When [DEER-STALKING more domesticated, they were taught to guard the sheep and cattle. At the present time it may be noticed that in uncivilised countries the dogs still remain semidomesticated; at the same time they more closely resemble what the original dog must have been than do any of the varieties of the canine races of Great Britain and of other civilised countries.
The original dog was somewhat wolf-like or fox-like in appearance. He had a close, woolly, weather-resisting coat. By cultivation and by a change of living, this coat gradually changed until it became almost smooth. At the same time pace was developed in order that the wolf and the stag could be caught; and to obtain this pace and power a gradual evolution took place, so that in some of the more civilised countries the dog became hound-like, or similar in shape to the modern greyhound.
Thus, most of the Assyrian sculptures, which are three or four thousand years old, represent dogs of this type. Some few are stronger and more massive, bearing a resemblance to the old English mastiff strain and that of the German boarhound. The longer-coated dogs are an unnatural development, caused by crossing and interbreeding from the smooth dogs which have had a tendency to grow long hair. These long coats are purely of such manufacture; in many cases they are not sufficiently close to be weather-protecting, but are rather ornamental than useful. The natural weather-resisting coat was, and still is, close, thick, soft, and more like flannel in appearance and to the touch than anything else. This kind of coat will be developed on any smooth-coated dog kept in a cold, damp kennel, or allowed to sleep out and rough it as his progenitors had to do. The Hounds, which include such dogs as hunt on the ground and do not feel for the taint of scent in the air, are perhaps the most important group, and many varieties of them have been produced in various countries. an Cropping. This is cutting the ears of dogs in order that they may stand erect in a point, or entirely removing the ears on animal used for fighting purposes.
Happily this cruelty, seldom perpetrated upon sporting dogs, has been discontinued in this country. It, however, prevails elsewhere. In 1895 Robert Carling and his wife were sentenced to a term of imprisonment for cropping an Irish terrier; and following this the Kennel Club decided that no dog, if cropped after March, 1895, can win a prize at a show under their rules.
So far as Irish terriers were concerned a DOGS] similar rule had, at the instigation of the