ROE DEER. 365 



work for the technical details, which would here be out 

 of place, hut the results at which he arrived are briefly 

 as follows. The pairing season is, as already stated, in 

 July and August; but the germ or ovum remains dormant 

 and of very minute size for four months and a half (until 

 December), after which it suddenly begins to develop at 

 the usual rate, the whole period of gestation being forty 

 weeks. As far as we are aware no similar phenomena 

 have been observed in any other quadruped, and it is 

 difficult to conceive why this species should differ so 

 markedly from others which are nearly allied to it both 

 in organization and habits. Either one or two Fawns are 

 produced at a birth, usually early in May. These are 

 at flrst carefully concealed by the Doe, which sometimes 

 shows great boldness in their defence — we have known 

 a small terrier which attacked a Fawn to be pursued for 

 a considerable distance by the irate mother. 



The Fawns, which like those of the other species are 

 beautifully marked with white spots, follow their parent 

 till Avinter. The young Buck then puts up his first 

 antlers in the form of simple snags ; the second pair have 

 a single tine directed forwards, and the tliird winter a 

 second branch directed backwards is added. The normal 

 development of the antlers is then complete, although 



they continue to increase in size and weight for some 

 time longer. The adult Bucks drop their antlers about 

 Christmas, and the new ones are usually fully developed 



