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THE REASON WHY : 



" To the strong ram 



Tie fast the rash offender. See at first 



His horned companion, fearful and amazed, 



Still drag him trembling o'er the rugged ground." SOMERVILLE. 



weapons of defence: but that explanation does not Fuffice fca 

 their various and singular shapes, and for certain circums ounces 

 connected with their history. In the deer tribe, for instance 

 horns belong only to the male in most of the species ; in 



the rein-deer the female is furnished also with horns, but they 

 are smaller than those of the other sex. The horns are composed 

 of a bony substance, grow periodically, fall off annually, and 

 are again renewed of a larger size than in the preceding year 

 Their forms are various : sometimes they spread into broad palms, 

 which send out sharp snags around their outer edges ; sometimes 



