86 



" surement I need give is that they are 10J inches in circumference 

 " immediately above the burr or basal ring, and 8 inches, midway 

 " up the beam weight 25 Ibs. 



" Other samber horns which heretofore, I had been wont to con- 

 " sider as fine, and even first rate specimens, quite dwindle to jnsig- 

 " nificance by the side of these enormous ones. 



" What a giant brute must he have been who bore them ! !" 



From the drawing, these horns appear to be about_40 inches long. 

 From what I know of the coast I dare say, that they were found 

 ^ at the very place, Cocanada, where I saw those I have mentioned. 

 I They certainly must have been magnificent horns ; two of the finest 

 pairs in the Madras Museum weigh 11| and 12 Ibs. respectively. 



Since the above was written I have found the extract from Col. 

 Campbell's work the " Old Forest Ranger" I have alluded to, at 

 page 84, and as it so forcibly illustrates the wonderful vitality, 

 strength and courage, possessed by this noble deer, I do not hesitate 

 to copy it, for I feel certain that I could not have better corrobor- 

 ation on such a matter than any extract from the writings of the 

 author of " My Indian Journal." 



" The rifle was silently cocked, and next moment the sportsman, 

 " had brought his sight to bear upon the bristling shoulder of a 

 " royal stag ; as he slowly emerged from a thicket of gigantic fern. 



" It was the identical stag, they had first seen, and attempted in 

 " in vain, to stalk ; Mansfield recognised his noble head at a glance. 



" The ragged bullet sped hissing through the air, and the hinds, 

 " startled by the report of the rifle, scampered off in wild confusion. 

 " The stag made one sickly reel, but immediately recovered himself 

 " and followed them with blood bubbling from a wound in the 

 " shoulder. Mansfield fired right and left, and planted two balls in 

 " his side, before he was out of range, but without any apparent 

 " effect upon the enormous brute, who rattled down the Ghat with- 

 " out a stagger, clattering over the rocks like a cart horse. The 

 " difficulty was now how to proceed. A young hand would naturally 

 " have followed the wounded [deer, who with three large balls 

 " through his body, could not be expected to go far. 



