ANTLER AND FERN. 93 



the horn struck the left side of the nose 

 and ripped the skin off, fortunately doing no 

 further injury. The wound healed perfectly, 

 and gave no trouble ; he has never found it 

 necessary to use anything more than a little 

 Friar's Balsam for such hurts, and has never 

 known any harm come of them. There is 

 an ancient belief that hart's horns are poi- 

 sonous, and that wounds inflicted by them 

 are difficult to heal. Much may depend 

 upon the position of a wound, and also on 

 the state of health of the person injured, 

 but certainly experience with the Exmoor 

 harts is in favour of the horn not being 

 poisonous. 



The whipper-in carries a waterproof bag, 

 and when the stag is killed the horns and 

 head are placed in it to preserve them from 

 disfigurement by blood or dirt. Sometimes 

 one antler has four points on the top, and 

 the other only three ; sometimes the top is 



