GERMANY 



^S3 



of females and all weak animals, as well as by regular winter feeding, 

 especially in the time before and after shedding the antlers, with 

 horn-producing food, such as oats, beans, horse-chestnuts, good hay, 

 young branches of oak cut in May and dried in sheds till winter, and 

 phosphate of lime mixed with salt. Heav)^ deer were also imported 

 from Hungary or Russia, in a few instances even by a number of 

 small shooting lessees clubbing together for expenses and agreeing 

 not to kill the imported beasts. 



Nowadays antlers from 12 to 18 lbs. can be got in nearly all 

 the larger shoots. The following table contains a few horn measure- 

 ments of wild stags obtained in recent years : — 



YEAR. SHOT BY. 



1887. King of Saxony 



1890. 



1895. German Emperor 



1896. 



King of Saxony 



1897. Baron Buddenbrock 



1898. King of Saxony . 

 ,, German Emperor 



With the exception of the purely agricultural plains of Central 

 Germany, and those bordering on the North Sea, stags are to be 

 found in all larger wooded tracts. They are rather more plentiful 

 towards the east, and less so in the west, lio^hter and smaller in 

 Bavaria, and heavier in the province of East Prussia. 



