206 



PROBLEMS OF RELATIVE GROWTH 



(1. c.) ascribes the change to the altered environment produced 

 by the cutting down of the forests in Scotland, and the giving 

 over of many of the original haunts of the deer to agriculture. 

 The Red Deer is by nature a forest species ; driven from the 

 lowlands, and when deprived of the shelter and succulent 

 browsing provided by forests, it grows stunted. This, how- 

 ever, takes no account of the difference in relative size of 

 antlers between Scotch and e.g. Carpathian strains. Here, 

 however, analysis of the available weight-measurements 



Fig. 90. — Differences in absolute body- size and relative antler-size of pre- 

 historic (left) and modern (right) Scottish Red Deer. 



(Huxley, I.e.) reveals, as we have seen (p. 42), that in spite 

 of large individual variations, the relative weight of antlers 

 increases regularly with absolute weight of body (Figs. 25, 29). 

 The antlers thus constitute a heterogonic organ, and we should 

 expect stunting to be followed by a diminution in relative antler- 

 size. Furthermore, the number of points on the antler is 

 also found to be a function of absolute antler-size (Huxley, 

 1926, 1931A). Here again there is considerable individual 

 variation, but the means show a regular curve. It would 

 appear to be an automatic consequence of increase of antler- 



