ON THE GROWTH OF ANTLEKS IN THE RED DEER. S2'6 



saw off his horns, which they did by cutting off the biow- 

 tines close to the burr and the beam, just above, in the usual 

 way, and, as I was not at home at the time, the pieces were 

 eventually lost sight of, for at that time I had no idea of 

 writing or taking further notes on the subject, the deer having 

 been seen by all my neighbours and many visitors to my studio. 

 Amongst others, Mr. Tattersall, a near neighbour, saw them, 

 and Mr. Norman and the late Rev. John Russell, both great 

 stag-hunters with the Devon and Somerset Staghounds. I first 

 made their acquaintance and enjoyed a good season's sport 

 with them, when I painted the late Master of that pack, 

 Mr. Bisset, and other members of the hunt, with a stag at 

 bay in the Doone Valley. 



Mr. Russell, I remember, was rather puzzled about the 

 antlers, as he always held to the theory that they progressed 

 more gradually, whilst I maintained that many of their deer 

 which they would have were seven years old were only three or 

 four years old, the rapid growth of the horns being due to the 

 fact that in that country they get such good browse in the large 

 covers of scrub-oak and other trees, as well as from the enclosures. 

 In this way getting generally better feeding than the deer in 

 Scotland, and having to put up with less severe winters, they are 

 larger and have better heads at a much earlier age. This accounts 

 for so many " warrantable deer," as they are called, being found 

 every season, notwithstanding so many being killed the previous 

 season. 



I feel confident tliat the development of antler is more the 

 result of feeding than anything else, and I think my young stag 

 might have had " three upon top " if I had not thought it 

 necessary, when the horns had passed the " ti'ay " and were 

 forming the top, to stop the supply of maize, on account of the 

 heat in the beginning of July, and the rather circumscribed 

 space in winch they were confined, for they appeared to sufl'er 

 somewhat in consequence, the walk being open to the south 

 and very warm, although in the sleeping sheds the sun was 

 of course kept off. There is no doubt that in some herds 

 the deer, either from the food in their localit}^ or from 

 some peculiarity in their nature, grow larger horns than those 

 in other herds. I am almost convinced that the six points 

 indicate the proper head for a stag after shedding his first 



