OF THE STAG'S HEAD. 45 



be about six years old. That external causes may 

 cause abnormal growths of horn can be understood, 

 but what can have caused such an alteration in 

 the structure of the skull must ever remain an 

 Insoluble mystery. This was the stag which was 

 photographed when at bay, and his gallant fight 

 shown nightly on the Bioscope at the Alhambra, 

 the peculiar formation of the head being clearly 

 visible in the pictures. 



It Is not easy to compare the weight of West-country 

 deer with those of other places, owing to the differences 

 in the methods of weighing. In Scotland the stag is 

 usually weighed with skin and head on, being simply 

 gralloched ; but the •practice varies on different 

 forests. We weigh our deer clean, head and skin, 

 heart, liver, and slots removed, simply the butcher's 

 meat, as one sees a sheep hanging in a butcher's 

 shop. There can be no doubt, however, looking at 

 the weights recorded in the papers, that the Devon 

 and Somerset deer are rather heavier than their 

 northern cousins. 



The big stag mentioned above, killed by Mr. 

 Amory, is stated to have weighed clean 3331b. 

 This is far and away bigger than anything previously 

 recorded, and. Indeed, he must have realised the 

 common description of " so big as a bullock," for 

 his live weight must have been somewhere about 

 44olb. A good many deer have been recorded 

 whose weights varied from 2501b. to 30olb., but cases 

 over 30olb. are very few and far between. 



