256 SIZE OF ANTLERS. 



length, spread and thickness. In central India they are, as a 

 rule, larger than those of the southern districts. I believe the 

 largest recorded, measured forty-eight inches, 1 but antlers of 

 from thirty-five to thirty-eight inches are magnificent trophies ; 

 the largest pair I possess are forty-one and a half inches long, 

 thirty-eight and a half inches spread, beam six and three 

 quarters in girth half way up the horn, and eight and a half 

 inches in girth at the base. The brow antler also varies 

 much in length. The horns of the sambur almost invariably 

 have three tines on each, but an abnormal small tine is 

 occasionally found. 



I have recorded in my journals, between 1855 and 1869 

 the deaths of two hundred and ninety-five sambur ; some of 

 the finest of these stags I had known for two or three years 

 before I was able to obtain their heads as trophies. I used to 

 amuse myself by giving them names, and the following 

 extracts from the journals describe the deaths of some of the 

 finest. 



A cold frosty morning was that of the 1 8th of December, 

 1857, and the sun was still in bed when I peered over the 

 crags down into Nield Field. The telescope travelled slowly 

 over the long green slopes, every nook and corner was care- 

 fully examined ; " not a thing out," I exclaimed, as I rose up 

 and shut up the glass. Francis, however, did not rise, but 

 shading his eyes with his hand gazed intently at something 

 out in the Field. "Look," he said, " at the foot of that rhodo- 

 dendron tree beyond the open ridge of the hill below, and 

 you will see such a stag ! " It took me some time to find the 



1 Blandford (I.e.) mentions these, but says " the girth at mid-beam was 

 only 6 inches, others not so long have had a girth 8.25 inches half way 

 up the beam, and 8.5 in horns 41 inches long." 



