CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



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\\^ithout denying- that the author of the ' Art of 

 Venerie'* was accurate in the views expressed by 

 him as to the horns of the deer, I must state that at the 

 present day, and in our country at least, the ' heads ' 

 are not developed in the manner or to the extent 

 mentioned by him in the third, fourth, fifth, and 

 sixth years of the stag's hTe. Nor can I agree that 

 in their seventh year deer have as many points as 

 ever they will bear. The signs by which an old 

 deer may be known are such as would be noted 

 and relied upon in the present day. The following 

 is the passage to which I refer, to be found in the 

 chapter ' Of the heades and branches of harts, and 

 of their diversities ':—' Harts bear their heades in 

 divers sorts and maners ; some well growne, 

 some other yll growne and worsse spy red, some 

 other againe counterset, and al this accordino- to 

 the age, contrey, feede, and rest that they have; 

 and you must note that they beare not their first 

 head, which we call broches (in a fallow deare 

 pricks), until they enter the second yere of their 

 age. In the third yere of their age they ought to 

 beare foure, sixe, or eight small branches ; at their 

 fourth yere they beare eight or tenne ; at five, tenne 

 or twelve ; at six, twelve, fourtene, or sixtene ; and 



*'The Art of Venerie, or Hunting,' by John Tuberville, Lend. 1575. 



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