The Mule- deer 29 



horns also average longer and heavier, and in 

 exceptional heads are really noteworthy trophies. 

 Ordinarily a full-grown buck has a head of ten 

 distinct and well-developed points, eight of which 

 consist of the bifurcations of the two main prongs 

 into which each antler divides, while in addition 

 there are two shorter basal or frontal points. But 

 the latter are very irregular, being sometimes 

 missing ; while sometimes there are two or three 

 of them on each antler. When missing it usually 

 means that the antlers are of young animals that 

 have not attained their full growth. A yearling 

 will sometimes have merely a pair of spikes, and 

 sometimes each spike will be bifurcated so as to 

 make two points. A two-year-old may develop 

 antlers which, though small, possess the normal 

 four points. Occasionally, where unusually big 

 heads are developed, there are a number of extra 

 points. If these are due to deformity, they simply 

 take away from the beauty of the head ; but where 

 they are symmetrical, while at the same time the 

 antlers are massive, they add greatly to the beauty. 

 All the handsomest and largest heads show this 

 symmetrical development of extra points. It is 

 rather hard to lay down a hard-and-fast rule for 

 counting them. The largest and finest antlers 

 are usually rough, and it is not easy to say when 

 a particular point in roughness has developed so 

 that it may legitimately be called a prong. The 



