British Hoofed Mammals 



beyond that of its antlered opponent. Be that as it 

 may, it is no uncommon sight to see a hummel stag at 

 the head of a herd of hinds, and lord of the passes and 

 the crags. 



Early summer sees the Red Deer the most con- 

 spicuous figure on the Grampian range. Then the 

 stag gathers around him a herd of hinds ; but once the 

 rutting season is over he returns to the higher reaches, 

 somewhat shorn of his grandeur and magnificence. It 

 is then that he has to prepare for his winter campaign 

 amid the snows and the hurricanes that sweep these 

 latitudes. While the snows and icy blasts still en- 

 compass his sanctuary, Nature decrees that he must 

 shed his lordly antlers. 



Where the antlers of deer were shed was for long a 

 profound mystery with the residents of the hills. 

 These discarded relics were seldom discovered even 

 by those traversing the hills in their daily occupations. 

 This evident secrecy gave rise to endless superstitions 

 in the Highlands. As stags not infrequently chew their 

 cast-ofF horns, this in a measure accounts for their 

 disappearance, and when it is also recognized that a 

 deer will naturally seek some sequestered spot to rid 

 itself of the loosening antlers, it follows that the 

 wayfarer would not casually locate these articles. 



In the more remote districts of the Highlands deer 

 horns are greatly prized as remedies against sickness 

 and family troubles. A matron will grind a horn to a 

 powder and bottle the particles against the visitation of 



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