British Hoofed Mammals 



deer, the tail is extremely short considering the size 

 and weight of the animal. The horns of the Red 

 Deer are its crowning glory. It is when a stag (as the 

 male is termed) has twelve points, or six on each 

 antler, that it is said to carry a " Royal " head. The 

 three points nearest the skull are termed the " brow," 

 " bay," and " tray tines," while the three higher up 

 constitute a cluster designated the "cup." This cup 

 in olden times was supposed to be capable of contain- 

 ing a glass of usquebaugh. 



The age of a stag cannot be properly determined by 

 the number of points it carries upon its antlers. 

 Formerly it was believed that a tine represented a year, 

 in the same way that the woody pulp of a tree denotes 

 its age. The modern deer-stalker, however, knows 

 that these points are not fashioned in keeping with the 

 calendar. Very much depends upon the succulent 

 nature of the ground over which the animal roams ; 

 accidents have to be taken into account, as also the 

 modern system employed in the larger forests of hand- 

 feeding during severe weather. 



A perfect " Royal " must have the three points 

 formed into a cup-shape, otherwise the head is con- 

 sidered defective. The antlers of aged deer become 

 bare, and the much-prized roughness that younger 

 animals show is lost. The points, too, take on a less 

 acute shape with age, no doubt the direct result of the 

 declining vigour of the animal itself. Coveted although 

 these antlered heads are by the sportsman, and reckoned 



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