Horns 



buck is an antelope and not a deer, as its horns 

 are hollow and not solid and they are not shed 

 annually. 



Beautifully and wonderfully gracefully made 

 are these airy little creatures ; and it is, I think, 

 almost one of the greatest privileges accorded to 

 the jungle lover to watch for the first time these 

 little antelope, either at play or when in sudden 

 alarm they go bounding off across country. Their 

 movements may be best explained to those who 

 have not seen this wonderful sight by the simile 

 that they appear to move on mechanically per- 

 fect steel springs ; for so it appears when one's 

 astounded eyes endeavour to take in and estimate 

 the distance and height of those wonderful leaps, 

 which they take with such consummate ease and 

 light, airy grace. 



Beautiful, most beautiful, and dainty amongst 

 all the Creator's creatures are these little beings. 



Old bucks can be distinguished by their almost 

 black colour, the belly being white, and by their 

 long black spiral horns. The closeness of the 

 spiral and divergence of the two horns vary. 30! 

 inches is supposed to be a record head. A 24 

 inch would now be considered very good and any- 

 thing over 18 inch shootable. The height at the 

 shoulder is 2 feet 8 inches and weight 85 Ibs. 

 Horned females are occasionally to be found. 



One evening in the hot weather I sat down and 

 watched a herd, consisting of a youngish buck, 



N 177 



