190 MR. 11. I. POCOCK ON TUB EXTEUXAL 



The stag presented to the Societ}' on January 26th, 1916, by 

 the Duke of Bedfoi'd was in the grey pelage. This was replaced 

 by the red pelage in June, and the grey phase was assumed in 

 September and carried through the winter until May 1917, when 

 the red summer coat was substituted. The first clear signs of 

 the shedding of this i-ed coat were noticed on July 23rd. It 

 came away with great rapidity and was all gone in about a week's 

 time, except on the crown of the head, where it persisted until 

 the stag's death in August. 



The red phase was therefore about a month earlier in its 

 appearance and disappearance in 1917 than in the previous 

 year. 



With regard to the a,ntlers, the stag was carrying a burnished 

 pair on its arrival on January 26th, 1916. These were shed on 

 February 1st. The new antlers grew rapidly and were burnished 

 by the time the grey pelage was replaced by the red pelage in 

 midsummer, when rutting set in. These antlers were shed on 

 October 22nd, and a new pair started at once ; but instead 

 of reaching their full size in the winter and being shed in 

 February as in the previous year, they continued to grow through 

 the winter and spring, began to peel in May, coincidently with 

 the shedding of the grey winter pelage and the appearance of the 

 red summer coat, and were unshed at the time of the stag's 

 death in August. Being the result of about seven months' 

 growth, these antlers were much larger than the preceding pair, 

 which were developed in about four and a half months. 



But, as recorded by Lord Tavistock in a letter to me, the antler- 

 shedding in Elaphurus is a much more complicated and variable 

 phenomenon than those who have seen single stags are aware. 

 The following is the substance of his observations made upon the 

 herd at Woburn : — 



No immature stag grows more than one pair of antlers in a 

 year. The antlers of a yearling are not clean till the end of 

 June and are shed in midwinter or even later. The antlers of a 

 four-year old stag are shed early in JSTovember, and may not be 

 clean for three weeks after those of the old stags have lost their 

 velvet. All old stags clean and shed their summer antlers with 

 as little valuation as to date as red deer. But the date of the 

 cleaning and shedding of their winter antlers is exceedingl}^ 

 variable. In the case of late shedding of the winter antlers, 

 stags will sometimes be found in May with but very few inches 

 of new velvet-covered antlers ; but, no matter how small the 

 growth, these antlers will harden and clean in time for the 

 rutting season. These stumpy-horned stags, however, have very 

 poor chance against their better-armed companions, and it is 

 only when the latter are exhausted at the end of the season that 

 the former have any chance of collecting a harem at all. 



Very large antlers of Elaphurus are always the result of 

 a winter growth by an adult animal ; but the production of a 



