250 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



the bones of the sknll. Certain leading scientists claimed that in the 

 deer family only the frontal bones produced antler sockets and that 

 therefore the third antler must also be located on the frontal bone. The 

 skull of this interesting buck was cleaned and preserved by George M. 

 Wright and then placed in the Yosemite Museum where it may be 

 examined by those interested. Examination of the cleaned cranium 

 revealed the fact that the third antler was not an outgrowth of the 

 frontal hones, but was located more than halfway down on the nasal 

 hones (see Fig. 92). 



This is such an important specimen that full details .should be 

 placed on record. I found that the cleaned skull measured, in milli- 

 meters, as follows: 



Length, 295; zygomatic width, 132; interorbital width, 89; length 

 of nasals, 88 ; greatest width of nasals, 39 ; height of third antler, 54 ; 



Fig. 92. Skull of "unicorn" buck showing third antler growing out of nasal 

 and not frontal bones of skull. Specimen in Yosemite Museum photographed 

 April 5, 1928. J. S. Dixon No. 5. 



greatest width of third antler, 30; distance to anterior end of nasals 

 from front base of third antler, 28; distance from posterior end of 

 nasals to posterior base of third antler, 37 ; width of foramen magnum, 

 14; length of foramen magnum, 19. The teeth in both the upper and 

 lower jaws were much worn. Several of the upper molariform teeth 

 were worn down until they were only a little over one millimeter thick. 

 I do not recall having examined any deer skull in which the teeth were 

 so nearly worn clear down to the gums. The sinus bones were unusually 

 thick and heavy, and the whole skull showed signs of heavy bone 

 deposits. 



At the time of his death "Old Horny" had shed his two main 

 antlers; however, the third antler (see Fig. 92) remained firmly 

 attached. I was much interested in seeing just how the third antler 

 is attached. It springs from a socket which, except for size, is in every 

 way similar to the ones from which the two main antlers spring. The 

 cleavage line is quite distinct, but it had been noted in previous years 



