THE ANTLERS. 



203 



The whole length of the left antler is tlurteen inches ; above 

 the butt, two inches, the brow-tine is thrown off, which is six 

 and a half inches long and not forked. Six inches above this, a 

 posterior snag shoots off, which is two inches long. No broad 

 palms are shown on these antlers. Both beams and tines are 

 greatly compressed laterally, thickest in their middle and draw- 

 ing quite regularly to edges each way. These are interesting 

 for the entire absence of any palm, although the flattened form 

 shows a strong tendency throughout to palmatation. Our au- 

 thors and hunters seem to have equally overlooked the impor- 

 tance of a careful study of the antlers of the female and the 



6. From Female Wild Reindeer from Lapland. 



7. From Male Wild Reindeer from Lapland. 



young male of this species, though the difference to me is very 

 plain. These certainly bear a strong resemblance to the small 

 pair in Dr. Gilpin's collection, his description of which I wnll re- 

 peat : " I possess another pair of very small horns with one sim- 

 ple brow-antler and but one tine, from a scarcely palmated 

 horn. This last came from Labrador, and I think is a doe's." 

 Now these are tiie only words of any author which I find, tend- 

 ing to give the least idea of the antlers of the doe, except that 

 they are much smaller than those of the buck. 



An examination of many specimens, especially from the Eu- 

 ropean Reindeer, shows that the Doctor was undoubtedly correct 

 in his conclusion that his specimen was from a female Caribou. 

 Compare his description with the illustrations of the antlers of 



