12 THE MAMMALS OF THE WOODS 



abdomen, are deep black, while during the rest of the year they resemble ordinary 

 roes. The black phase seems to occur mainly on marsh and moorland, and 

 is apparently more constant than the white, for, wherever a black roe appears, 

 there are sure after a few years to be several more, so that the variation could 

 probably be perpetuated. 



The lifetime of this deer seems to be from fifteen to sixteen years, or more. 

 When fully developed, the mouth contains thirty-two teeth ; but in some cases there 

 are also two canine teeth in the upper jaw resembling small points ; these occurring 

 more frequently in the young than in the adult, are more common in does than in 

 bucks. As the changing of the teeth is a slow process, restricted to a certain 

 period, the age of the roe up to a certain time may be ascertained by its dentition ; 

 but in the absence of the skull the age is difficult to estimate, owing to the size and 

 development of the different parts of the body depending on the nature of the 

 food, the antlers affording no real guide. 



Growtn of Antlers Four weeks after shedding the old ones, namely, between the 

 in Roebuck. m i(]di e anc l e nd of January, the shape of the new antlers is already 

 recognisable. As a rule, each antler of the full-grown buck has only three points, 

 the pair having six ; this six-pointed stage is quickly reached, and from that 

 time onwards the possibility of telling the age of the roe by its antlers almost 

 ceases. Four stages may, however, be distinguished in the formation of the antlers. 

 In the fourth month after birth, about September, the frontal bones of the young 

 buck become elevated, and in October or the beginning of November there arise two 

 small protuberances capped by a pair of hair-tufts. By the middle of December 

 the skin of the head rises on these, and two bases for the antlers are formed, 

 which incline towards each other in a backward direction. During the next two 

 or three months are developed the " spikes," which are cleared of velvet in 

 February or March, and are cast in the following December. After these " head- 

 spikes" come the "narrow spikes," which are developed by April of the following 

 year, and are distinguished by having no point and no real burr. These are shed 

 in December, when the buck is two and a half years old. When the " narrow spikes " 

 are fully grown the forking begins, and then the antlers become effective weapons. 

 When the six tines are formed the antlers are complete ; but in addition to these 

 there may appear a point growing backwards. If the development of the antlers 

 goes on regularly, the buck is four years old when he first gets his six points. The 

 height of the beam of the antler is the same as the distance from point to point, 

 and for average bucks we may assume the medium height of 8 inches, but 

 specially fine heads have antlers of 12 inches. Very tall antlers seldom have 

 so many " pearls," or bead-like knobs, as short, thick ones. The distance of the 

 two shafts from each other may exceed 8 inches — the average distance being 

 about 4 inches, — but there are bucks whose antler-points touch. The shade 

 of their colouring depends, it is said, to a great extent on the food and health of 

 the buck, and also on the kind of wood against which he rubs his antlers. The 

 tannin in the bark of the oak is reported to give the antlers a dark colouring ; 

 and darker antlers are certainly more frequent in woods of deciduous trees 

 than in those of pine, partly on account of the food obtained there being of a 

 more nourishing nature. Aged barren does generally show only slight pro- 



