7 o RED DEER. 



one point. Occasionally, the absence of the 

 top points is the result of malformation, but 

 is usually a sign that the stag had not reached 

 maturity. 



The length and thickness of the beam or 

 stem, the number of points and offers of 

 points, and the width between the tips of the 

 horns as they grow on the head are all 

 reckoned in estimating antlers. Such are the 

 terms commonly used in the present day on 

 Kxnioor ; but in ancient times connoisseurs 

 of the chase had numerous others, such as the 

 burr, the pearls, the gutters, royals, and sur- 

 royals. Crowned heads and forked heads, 

 however, are still spoken of when the antler 

 forks, or when the points draw together in 

 the outline of a crown. 



The ancient terms began with the ' burr,' 

 this was the thickened base of the horn (or 

 beam) where it joins the head. It is there 

 enlarged and rough like the base of an oak 

 tree at the ground. ' Burr,' as a term ex- 

 pressive of bulging, is still in use by black- 



