RODRIGUEZ, or RODRIGUES, a hilly volcanic island (1,760 feet), 13 miles long by 7 broad, 370 miles E. by N. of Mauritius, of which it is a dependency. Rodriguez is a cable station. The soil is fertile, and agriculture is the chief occupation. Hurricanes often cause great damage to the island, which is encircled by a coral reef. It was discovered by the Portuguese in 1645, and has been a British colony since 1810. The chief port is Port Mathurin. Owing to its isolation this island is particularly interesting to the botanist and the zoologist. Till near the close of the 17th century it was the home of the solitaire, now an extinct bird.
ROE (Capreolus caprea), a small species of deer inhabiting Europe and some parts of western Asia, chiefly in hilly or mountainous regions. It is sel dom found in the higher and more naked mountain tracts, the haunt of the stag or red deer. It was once plentiful in Wales and in the hilly parts of England, as well as in the S. of Scotland, but is now very rare S. of Perthshire. The roe is about 2 feet 3 inches in height at the shoulder. Its weight is about 50 or 60
pounds. Its color is a shining tawny brown in summer, more dull and grizzled in winter. The tail is very short, con cealed among the hair. The antlers, which are peculiar to the male or roe buck, are eight or nine inches long, erect, round, very rough, longitudinally fur rowed; having, in mature animals, two or three tines or branches, which, as well as the tip of the horn, are sharp-pointed, so that the antlers form very dangerous weapons. The habits of the roe are what like those of the goat, or even of the chamois. Contrary to what is usual among deer, the male and female remain attached during life. The voice of the roe-deer, resembling that of a sheep, but shorter and more barking, is often heard through the night. The venison is supe rior to that of the stag, but not equal to that of the fallow deer. The horns are used for handles of carving knives and similar articles.