o f 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 o f deerstalkers.
Apropos o f 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 difficult
position, when a roebuck was spied, o f course up wind, right in the way. Donald knew
perfectly well that i f 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 roebu ck ).® W ull she rin. up wund
like a stag, d’ye think ? ” Tuncan, o f course, professed complete ignorance o f 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 o f 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. A ll through
September the bucks move about much by themselves, whether in woodlands or high ground,
and travel for long distances, but the middle o f 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 o f 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 o f faith. Still, i f any attempt
to mate again ever takes place, I am sure that it is, as with the October passion ot the blackcock,
pseudo-erotic. There is not the least doubt that roe, even the bucks too, chase each
other frequently at this season as i f in play. In fact, I have seen roe acting like this and
chasing each other in almost every month o f 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 o f these had been simply beaten
into a track by the thousands o f little feet that had used them. One perfect circle under
some beech trees about half a mile from the castle had a diameter o f about 20 feet.
Another was situated outside the wood in the corner o f a grass park, and close to a stone
w a ll; whilst the third might be described as a double ring, for it took the form o f the figure
8, there being a fir and an ash tree growing in each loop. The roe galloped in and out
along the lines o f the figure. These curious circles are most used in early summer at daybreak,
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.