RED DEER 23 



upright brow-tine not far from the centre of the forehead. With the six-pointer 

 begins, however, a new type of antler, insomuch as the principal beam, which in 

 the main is much like that of the second pair, forms at about half its length a 

 sudden, knee-like bend. At this knee the slender trez-tine appears for the first 

 time ; but at this stage of development the bez-tine may sometimes still be 

 wanting, its place being only indicated by the angle of the main beam. The 

 eight-pointer adds a new part to the antler, namely, the terminal fork which is 

 often wanting on one side. If it be wanting on both sides, the head would seem 

 a six-pointer, and yet would be regarded as an eight-pointer. It frequently 

 happens that besides the side-tine of the fork the trez-tine also disappears, so that, 

 judged by the number of their tines, the antlers would seem to be at a much lower 

 stage of development than is really the case. The ten-pointer, whose main beam, 

 like that of the eight-pointer, has a fork at the summit, shows for the first time 

 the bez-tine branching off almost at right angles from the main stem. By this 

 bez-tine the ten-pointer is easily recognised, as it is by the inclination of the 

 brow-tine, which forms an obtuse angle with the main stem. If the bez-tine 

 disappear, the stag would be regarded as an eight-pointer, although, by the shape 

 of the antlers, a ten-pointer. At this stage, again, the side-branch of the terminal 

 fork may have disappeared, making the head look like an eight-pointer; but, 

 if brow-tine and side-branch of the terminal fork disappear together, the head 

 seems to be a six-pointer. 



The cup or crown first appears in the twelve-pointer : in such antlers the main 

 stem forms the second knee, and the tines change their direction. The upper 

 half of the main stem now has three tines, which start from the same point to 

 form a sort of reversed pyramid, and, by ending the main beam, become the 

 " crown." If the bez-tine be wanting, such stags, although really twelve-pointers, 

 might be regarded as ten-pointers. In all regularly developed specimens of the 

 fourteen-pointer we find a fork at the top of the main beam. The eight- 

 pointed main beam of the sixteen-pointer shows a third knee, and has at its 

 extremity again three tines shooting forth at the same place : the main beam of 

 the eighteen-pointer is forked again at the end, and the twenty-pointer's main 

 beam has a fourth knee, from which again arise three tines. 



Range and The nature of the forest in which deer live has great in- 



Habits of Red fluence on the condition of the antlers, deer from alder-woods, for 



Deer- instance, having antlers of a dark colour ; and not only colour, but 



shape, size, and other peculiarities are affected by local conditions. The developing 

 antlers are often damaged externally or checked in their growth by internal diseases. 

 They first appear at the age of seven months ; and the deer lives to about twelve, 

 or sometimes twenty, but never, as was formerly assumed, forty years. Originally 

 the whole of Europe was the home of the red deer, which was found in Scandinavia 

 up to latitude 65° N., and towards the south inhabited the countries round the 

 Caucasus. At the present day red deer are found in Ireland, very locally in 

 Eno-land, and much more widely in Scotland. In the Hebrides deer are smaller than 

 on the mainland of Scotland, and in Norway they are also of proportionally small 

 size. In Sweden they are rare; they have been driven from European Russia, 

 except the Crimea and the Caucasus, but in all the other countries of Europe 



