THE STAG.
This is the most beautiful animal of the Deer kind. The elegance of his form, the lightness of his motions, the flexibility of his limbs, his bold branching horns, which are yearly renewed, his grandeur, strength and swiftness, give him a decided rank over every other inhabitant of the forest. The age of the Stag is known by its horns: he begins to shed them about the end of February or the beginning of March: each year they become larger.
THE STAG.
The usual colour of the Stag, in England, is red; in other countries it is commonly brown or yellow. His eye is extremely beautiful, soft and sparkling: his hearing is quick; and his sense of smell very strong. When listening, he raises his head, erects his ears, and seems attentive to every noise, which he can hear at a great distance. When he approaches a thicket, he stops to look round him on all sides; if he perceives nothing to alarm him, he moves slowly forward; but on the least appearance of danger, he flies off with the rapidity of the wind. He appears to listen with great delight to the sound of the shepherd’s pipe, which is sometimes made use of to ensnare him to his destruction.