40 Deer Breeding for Fine Heads 



Scotland ; cold dry weather he can stand, but not wet, at least that is 

 my experience in this country. On the other hand, the Altai deer 

 seems to enjoy wet ; he spends most of his time in his pond, and his 

 one thought day and night seems to be how to get out of his 

 paddock and thrash the wapiti stags. 



It may be possible to get Altai stags with better-shaped horns 

 than mine, and if so the objection to the species for crossing purposes 

 will disappear. 



Hitherto I have not seen any Altai hinds, but only half-bred red 

 deer and Altai, and these are not so big as the wapiti-red-deer hinds. 



I have indeed some calves, both male and female, three-quarters 

 Altai (by this stag), and one-quarter Russian red deer, and others 

 three-quarters Altai and one-quarter German red deer, but all of 

 these are too young to show if this cross is a success so far as size of 

 heads is concerned. 



I feed all my paddock-stags, as soon as they have shed their horns, 

 on bone-forming materials in the form of pills put into their mangel- 

 wurzel by boring holes, and continue the supply until the velvet is 

 off their horns and the latter have ceased to grow. This is essential 

 on account of the fact that the deer are kept in a confined space, 

 where they cannot get enough lime. 



Hinds in Scotch deer-forests gnaw the cast horns, or even those 

 of living stags, in order to get lime for bone-forming. 



I also give a quantity of molassine meal to all my paddock-deer, 

 which I find very good for them ; and if the deer are cold and wet it 

 prevents their coats staring^ 



The roar of the Altai stag is rather like that of the wapiti, but a 

 little nearer that of the red deer, being not so high and shrill as the 



