ON THE GROWTH OF DEER-HOENS. 



361 



this character, carrying three tines on each horn is called by 

 German sportsmen a " six-ender," and this number of " ends," or 

 as we call them " tines," is very rarely exceeded. Old writers on 

 hunting sometimes refer to " eight-enders " in cases where an 

 additional tine appears midway between the one first thrown 

 forward and that directed backwards ; and Blasius even gives an 

 illustration of a "ten-ender," in which there is a bifurcation of 

 the tine thrown backward, as there is of the main stem towards 

 its extremity. Such heads, however, must be very uncommon, 

 and are said to be unknown in Germany. Blasius speaks of 

 their having been met with in Servia (Sclavonia) and Croatia. 



Fig. 3. 



Eoebucks with very long and heavy horns are found in the 

 Ural, the Altai, and in Great Tartary ; but, notwithstanding their 

 abnormal size and weight, would all be described, I believe, as 

 six-enders. (See Fig. 2, which has been drawn to the same scale 

 as Fig. 1, for the purpose of comparison.) Fig. 3, although not 

 so symmetrical, represents an unusually fine large head for 

 a Roe. 



It is a curious fact that abnormal growths of horn are more 

 frequent amongst Eoe than with Red-deer. It is difficult to say 



