34 THE RED DEER OE EXMOOR. 



each side may probably be eight years old, or ten 

 or more. 



Many rules have been laid down for recognising 

 an old stag, but they cannot always be depended on. 

 The most sure are : — 



That the burr is set close to the head ; 



That the pearls on the burr are large, knobbly, and 

 well polished ; 



That the gutters or channels left on the surface of 

 the horn by the arteries are deep and well 

 marked ; 



That the beam is heavy and the spread wide. 



As a deer gets very old he loses his strength and 

 vitality, and his antlers begin to " bate " or " go back." 

 The points are less strong and less sharp, those on 

 top being frequently rounded or otherwise imper- 

 fectly developed. The head, in fact, becomes less 

 efficient as a fighting weapon. Age is often difficult 

 to judge, and many a heated controversy takes place 

 among the experts over the body of the deer ; but 

 the condition of the teeth can generally be relied on 

 to settle the discussion. In a very old deer the 

 teeth are worn and often loose or missing. 



There have been endless controversies as to the 

 longevity of stags, and instances have been adduced 

 to prove ages that sound fabulous. Thirty years, 

 forty, even a hundred and over, have been alleged. 

 No ages approaching these have, so far as the writer 

 is aware, ever been duly authenticated in the West. 



The best authenticated case of age which has come 



