American Big Game in its Haunts 



moose. The weight of the dried skull and antlers 

 was ninety-three pounds, the palmation being in 

 places 1% inches thick. 



There are several large heads in the possession 

 of American taxidermists, which, if properly 

 authenticated, would prove of interest. No head, 

 however, is of much value as a record unless its 

 history is well known, and unless it has been in the 

 hands of responsible persons. The measurements 

 of antler spread can be considered authentic only 

 when the skull is intact. If the skull is split an 

 almost imperceptible paring of the skull bones at 

 the joint would suffice to drop the antlers either 

 laterally out of their proper plane, or else pitch 

 the main beam backward. By either of these de- 

 vices a couple of inches can be gained on each 

 side, making a difference of several inches in the 

 aggregate. But the possession of an unbroken 

 skull is by no means a guarantee of the exact size 

 of the head when killed. 



Since large antlers, and especially so-called 

 "record heads," of any species of deer command 

 a price among those who desire to pose as sports- 

 men, and have not the strength or skill to hunt 

 themselves, it has become a regular business for 

 dealers to buy up unusual heads. The temptation 

 to tamper with such a head and increase its size is 



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