The Natural History of Selborne

The young men of this place found a stray fallow deer at the back of the village, which they roused, & hunted with grey hounds, & other dogs.  When taken it proved to be a buck of three years old.

The Stag seen again about Oakhanger. He some times haunts about Hartley wood, & some times about the Holt.

Planted on the bank in the garden several dames violets raised from cutting under hand-glasses.  Sowed some seeds of the Zizania aquatica in Comb-wood pond.  The King’s stag-hounds came down to Alton, attended by a Huntsman & six yeoman prickers with horns, to try for the stag that has haunted Hartley wood, & it’s environs for so long a time. Many hundreds of people, horse & foot, attended the dogs to see the deer unharboured: but tho’ the huntsmen drew Hartley wood, & Temple hangers, yet no Stag could be found.   Lord Hinchinbroke, the master of the hounds, & some other Nobleman attended.  The royal pack, accustomed to have the deer turned-out before them, never drew the coverts with any address or spirit, as many people that were present observed; & this remark the event has proved a just one.  For as Harry Bright was lately pursuing a pheasant that was wing-broken in Hartley wood, he stumbled upon the stag by accident, & ran in upon him as he lay concealed amidst a thick brake of brambles, & bushes.

A stag, which has haunted Hartley wood the summer thro’ was roused by a man that was mowing oats just at the back of village.  Several young persons purused him with guns, & happening to rouse him again on the side of Nore hill, shot at him; & then collecting some hounds from Emshot, & Hawkley, they drove him to a large wood in the parish of Westmeon, where they lost him, & called-off their dogs.

There are now some fallow-deer, & a red deer in Hartely wood.

The late burning season has proved fatal to many deer in elevated situations, where the turf being quite scorched up, the stock in part perished for want.  This is said in particular to have been the case at Up-park in Sussex.  A want of water might probably have been one occasion of this mortality. Some fallow deer have dyed in the Holt.

Shortest day. Pleasant weather.  A hunted hind came down Galley-hill into the street; where being headed by the village dogs, it turned back to Well-head, & was taken in Kircher’s farm yard, & put into the barn, being quite run down.  One of the Gent. pursuers let it blood, & hired  a man to watch it all night.  in the morning by seven o’ the clock a deer-cart came, & took it away.  There were several Gent. in with the dogs, when they took the deer.  The dogs & hind were said to belong to Mr Delmee, who lives near Fareham. The deer was turned-out in the morning on Stevens Castle down near Bishop’s Waltham, which is at least 18 miles from this place.  The dogs were short & thick, but had shrill notes like fox-hounds, & when they ran hard opened but seldom, so that they made but little cry.

Mr Talbot turned-out a stag, which after wounding some hounds, & an horse, was taken alive.

A chaced hind ran thro’ the parish, & was taken at Penton.  She ran but two hours the ground being too hard for her feet.  She was carryed home in a cart to Grateley.

Hinds on Bagshot-heath.