28 LONGEVITY OF DEER. 



which live but eight or ten years, go but five months, and 

 attain to their perfection at two years : and the like pro- 

 portion is observable in cats, hares, and conies. And so 

 the deer, that endureth the womb but eight months, and is 

 complete at six years, from the course of nature, we 

 cannot expect to live a hundred years, nor, in any pro- 

 portional allowance, to much more than thirty. 



" Moreover, the state and declination of all animals 

 are proportionally set out by nature ; and, naturally pro- 

 ceeding, admit of inference from each other. When long 

 life is natural, the marks of age are late ; and, where they 

 appear, the journey unto death cannot be long. Now the 

 age of deer is best conjectured by view of the horns and 

 teeth. From the horns there is a particular and annual 

 account unto six years, they arising first plain and so 

 successively branching ; after which the judgment of their 

 years by particular marks becomes uncertain ; but, when 

 they grow old, they grow less branched, and first do lose 

 their propugnacula or brow antlers; which Aristotle says 

 the youngest use in fight, and the old, as needless, have 

 them not at all. The same may be also collected from 

 the loss of their teeth, whereof in old age they have few, 

 or none before, in either jaw. Now these are infallible 

 marks of age ; and when they appear we must confess a 

 declination, which, notwithstanding, will happen, as we are 

 informed, between twenty and thirty." 



I myself may add, that the great excitement and ex- 

 haustion during the rutting season, as well as the effort 

 nature makes in renewing the horns annually, is an argu- 

 ment against longevity ; and notwithstanding the extreme 

 respect I bear to marvellous traditions, (always, I think. 



