4 DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTER 



we had no technical names for harts* of different ages ; but 

 they are thus distinguished by park-keepers, and by those 

 gentlemen who keep stag-hounds in England : 



Before deer are one year old they are called (male and 

 female) Calves}; after one year old the male is termed a 

 Brocket ; at three, a Spire ; at four, a Staggart ; at five, a 

 Stag ; and at six, a warrantable Stag. He may afterwards 

 be called a Hart. The female, after one year old, is 

 termed a Hearst ; and at three years old a young Hind. 



The female does not cohabit with the male till three 

 years old. She has never more than one calf at a time., 

 though the contrary opinion has been entertained. 



The stag's brow J bay and tray antlers are termed his 

 Rights; the upright points on the top of his horns are 

 called Crockets ; the horn itself the Beam ; the width the 

 Span ; the rough part of the base the Pearls. 



A Brocket has only knobbers, and small brow antlers ; 

 a Spire, brow and uprights ; a Staggart, brow, tray, and 



* The term hart is probably taken from the Dutch appellation Ilcrt, 

 or the Danish one, Hiort. In Swedish it is Kron-hiort, and in German 

 HirscJi. 



f Some limit the term of calf to six months only. 



| The second antler, being shorter than the brow one, is of little or 

 no service in the bay. The terms are probably corrupted from bis, 

 and trois. 



I am aware that these terms do not exactly correspond with those 

 mentioned in all the old authorities, neither do the latter always accord 

 with each other. I have taken my nomenclature from the Devonshire 

 Hunt, as the best authority. It has been founded considerably above 

 a century. Wriothesly, second Duke of Bedford, is the first person 

 to whom it can be traced: he died at Tavistock, in 1711. There are 

 about 313 deer in all the covers. Seventy were killed by the late 

 Lord Graves in two seasons. 



