48 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



tofore allowed to frequent. I have strong reason, 

 however, to think that the introduction of red deer 

 from Scotland, and from Badminton, which has 

 occurred at two or three periods, has, so far at least as 

 the ' heads ' are concerned, injured the breed of deer. 

 There can be little doubt that if a large and 

 heavy stag sustains one or more severe chases 

 during the autumn, and succeeds in eluding and 

 escaping from his pursuers, his powers during the 

 rutting season are weakened, and the growth of 

 the horns in the succeeding year considerably 

 hindered and diminished. The effect of this over- 

 exertion manifests itself in stunted, irregular, and 

 partially deformed heads. A widespread beam is 

 considered as an essential to the perfect horn ; and 

 a stag whose horns are curved upwards, and be- 

 tween which the space narrows towards the points, 

 is said to be ' hoop-headed.' On more than one 

 occasion we have had deer with horns drooping 

 like the ears of an oar-lopped rabbit, and I attribute 

 this deformity to accident or over-exertion during 

 the season preceding the period of shedding the 

 horns. A drawing of a deformed head of a stag- 

 killed at Hall Water,* in 1798, is given herewith. 



* Presumably Hole Water, in the parish of Bray. — Vide Appendix, 

 Aug. 4th 1798. 



