116 FOREST CREATURES. 



the stag has not on his head, he has in his body ; and 

 you will invariably find such an animal as I have just 

 alluded to, as much heavier in body as his antlers are 

 deficient in size. The power thus not expended on the 

 growth of the horns, seems to be so much nutrition 

 devoted to the development of the body. 



When red deer were abundant and the foresters 

 were daily out to examine the slots of the stag ; when 

 too, there was also a daily opportunity of comparing the 

 weight of the slain animal with that which the sportsman 

 had deduced from the size of his traces on tke ground, a 

 degree of perfection was arrived at in such computa- 

 tion, which long and constant practice alone could give. 

 In giving his report of the stags which, he asserted, 

 were to be met with in certain parts of the forest, 

 the young forester would often Ire required to state 

 their weight: the weight, namely, that he presumed 

 them to have after a mature consideration of their 

 slots. 



He was expected to calculate this within fifteen 

 pounds, more or less ; fifteen pounds were also allowed 

 for the blood that the stag might lose when wounded, 

 and if it was found that the weight he asserted the head 

 of game would have, differed from the real weight more 

 than this number of pounds, such mistake was looked 

 upon as proof of inexperience and incompetency. 

 Some stags are long in the body, while others are much 



