Deer Me . . .

Zooming round a country corner this afternoon, we came upon this rare and remarkable specimen of Canadian wildlife - a Christmas Barreldeer. Main differences from the normal deer are its immobility (except in high winds), rusty brown colouring, stick-like antlers and enormous size - often growing to 20ft tall, it is the largest of the deer species. My Guidebook to Ontario Wildlife warns that the animal is not child-friendly - it has no fur, most of its body consisting of sharp edges, which it uses to ward off marauding packs of scrap metal dealers . . .