20(5 NATURAL HISTORY. 



prickets, ami the young stags, resort to the herd, and 

 form troops, which are numerous in proportion as the 

 season is more severe. In spring they divide, the hinds 

 retiring to bring forth their young ; and at this time 

 there is scarcely any but the prickets and the young 

 stags which associate. In general, the stags are inclin- 

 ed to remain with each other, and to roam abroad in 

 companies ; and it is only from fear or necessity that 

 they are ever found separated. 



The growth of the horns appears to depend on the 

 redundancy of the fluids, and has a near connection with 

 the production of the seminal fluid; for when castra- 

 ted, the horns of the stag cease to grow. 



The beauty of this, as indeed of every part, depends 

 much upon their food; fora stag which lives in a 

 plentiful country, where he feeds at his ease, where 

 he is neither disturbed by men nor dogs, where he may 

 lie down and ruminate in quiet, has always a beauti- 

 ful head, high, open, palmated, large, and well adorn- 

 ed at top, broad and curled at bottom, with a great 

 number of long and strong antlers. In a country, on 

 the other hand, where he has neither sufficient food 

 nor repose, his head will be in these respects the reverse. 

 Hence it is not difficult to distinguish by the horns 

 of a stag, whether or not he inhabits a fertile or bar- 

 ren country. 



The branches which sprout from the head of the 

 ,tag, in their make and growth, resemble those of a 

 tree : their substance also is, perhaps, more of the na- 

 ture of wood than of bone. It is, as it were, a vege- 

 table grafted upon an animal, which partakes of the 

 nature of both, and forms one of those shades, by 

 which Nature always approximates two extremes. 



