Dramas great and small
by Mark Cocker from on (#CV23)
Claxton, Norfolk These deer of such sweet mien momentarily suggested nothing less than something sabre-toothed and predatory
Through the hedge on the path to the marsh I could hear their commotion. Sharp-tipped hooves stabbing the ground and then a telltale blur of orange flanks that revealed them as Chinese water deer. Males squared up in combat.
As my binoculars dialled into crisp detail, they answered a long-standing mystery. For years I've found handfuls of loose deer hair strewn on the ground, but was always puzzled why it was shed in that fashion. Here was the answer.
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