NOTES AND QUEEIES. 4S7 



killed by his father, which has only uprights, about eighteen inches long, 

 such as a yearling might have, only wider spreading; but an old sportsman 

 who saw him killed told me he was the biggest stag he ever saw. Lord 

 Graves, on giving over the Mastership of the Staghounds to my great- 

 grandfather in 1812, wrote thus about the points on stags' horns at various 

 ages ; — " A male calf has no horn ; a brocket (after one year old the 

 male is termed a 'brocket'), only knobbers and small brow antlers; 

 a spire (three-year-old), brow antlers and uprights ; a staggart (four-year- 

 old), brow and tray antlers and uprights ; a five-year-old deer, brow, bay, 

 and tray antlers, a crocket or two on top of one horn, and an upright on 

 the other; a warrantable stag (six-year-old), brow, bay, and tray antlers, 

 and two on top of each horn : after this age their heads vary much in 

 appearance." — Ebrington (Castle Hill, North Devon). 



Growth of Deer-horns. — Having just read your interesting article on 

 the " Growth of Deer-horns," in the ' Zoologist ' for September, I venture 

 to send you a few remarks bearing on it. You say "It is believed a 

 deer at six years' old will carry as fine a head as he is ever likely to do." 

 This statement seems strange ; for assuming, for the sake of argument, that 

 the majority of stags have attained their rights and three crockets on top 

 of each antler at six years old, for years after this number is reached the 

 stag, if healthy, will usually have one point at least added to the crest of 

 the horn every year, until a bullet or natural causes cut short its course. 

 A case in point came under my notice, of a stag of twelve points having 

 one point added every year until the number had reached seventeen, and 

 that number would in all probability have been further increased had not 

 the stalker's bullet interfered. In overcrowded districts the antlers are 

 very often almost rudimentary, and often, if well shaped, deteriorate at an 

 early period; but, on the other hand, when the deer are few and the 

 grazing good, there is very little supposition for concluding that the antlers 

 do not attain great size, with many points, as age increases. I remember 

 once picking up a a single antler with ten points, perfectly developed, the 

 coronet well spread and the bone furrows very deep, plainly indicating the 

 stag to be of considerable age and size. Assuming the fellow antler had 

 ten points, this would give eight points added after six years had passed. 

 The experience of Mr. Clarke could hardly be taken as a test case, for not 

 only were his observations confined to a limited area, but the stag he takes 

 as a type was in confinement. The experience of Mr. CoUyns (Dulverton) 

 set forth at length in his book ('The Chase of the Wild Ked Deer,' 1862), 

 is more in accordance with general notions on the subject. He un- 

 doubtedly was of opinion that, until natural decay or disease afflicted tlie 

 animal, a gradual yearly increase, both in the size of beam and number of 

 points, was kept up. I should like to see the collection at Mr. Stevens's, for 

 Germany is the la-nd of well-developed antlers now-a-days. — Herbert Gow 

 Stewart (Hole Park, Kolveudeu, Ashford.) 



