THE HUNTED STAG. 143 



antlers. The number of points, too, some- 

 what depends upon the time of year at 

 which the calf was dropped ; if dropped 

 late in the year (as happens now and then) 

 at five years the stag would carry one point 

 less than another born very early in the 

 spring. 



These facts are not only known from 

 observation, but have been substantiated 

 by experiment. Captured calves have been 

 ear-marked, and the marks found several 

 seasons afterwards, so that the condition of 

 the antlers at a given age has been accurately 

 ascertained. The horns of those stags that 

 lie and feed in more enclosed places, where 

 the food is abundant, have the beam thicker 

 than it appears on the heads of those that 

 lie on the moors. When six years old a 

 stag has his ' rights,' and three on top one 

 or both sides. 



At four years a male deer is occasionally 

 considered a stag and runnable, if he is 

 heavy, and carries two on top both horns, 



