6 



ingly. But I must here remark that the points will 

 not alone serve as a guide to his age, although by a 

 combination of these and other marks, as I shall 

 hereafter state, it may be ascertained. In short, I 

 defy any individual who has merely followed the 

 hounds, and been present at the death, I care not how 

 many times, to tell the age of a stag by his horns only. 



I have myself followed the hounds for a great number 

 of years, and been present at many a death, and I can 

 safely say that I have frequently heard the most ridicul- 

 ous arguments as to his age, some asserting him to be 

 three or four years old, and others saying he is ten and 

 upwards. For my own part, of late years I have not 

 seen a stag of ten years old, nor do I think that any 

 one in the county can shew me one — that they do live 

 at the age of ten and upwards I do not for one moment 

 dispute, but if any one possesses a head of a stag of 

 that age, I should very much like to see it. Another 

 error which I have frequently heard persons assert is, 

 that they know him to be an old stag, because he is 

 hoop horned ; but are these individuals aware, or will 

 they believe, that this is not a mark of old age, but 

 of youth, as most of the male red deer, from two to 

 three years old, are what they call hoop horned. 



But now the question comes. Can a stag's age be 

 known by his head ? I believe he can up to a certain 

 period, but only by those who have studied it ; the 

 latest publications, wherein it is said that a male 

 deer has no horns in his first year, are* in error, as I 



