28 DAYS OF DEER-STALKING. 



Hutchins, in his History of Dorsetshire, says, " It is paid 

 to this day."* 



Deer shed their horns annually; the oldest harts shed 

 them first, about the beginning of April ; the younger ones 

 follow in succession, according to their age and condition. 

 The new horns attain their full growth in three months, 

 and appear about ten days after the old ones are shed. It 

 is not very long since a hart fell under the close observance 

 of a forester, whilst in the act of shedding his horns, in a 

 forest in Sutherland. Whilst he was browsing, one of his 

 antlers was seen to incline leisurely to one side, and imme- 

 diately to fall down to the ground : the stag tossed up his 

 head, as if in surprise, and began to shake it pretty violently, 

 when the remaining antler was discarded also, and fell some 

 little distance from him. Relieved from this weight, he 

 expressed his sense of buoyancy by bounding high from 

 the ground, as if in sport, and then, tossing his bare head, 

 dashed right away in a confused and rapid manner. 



The shedding of the horns continues till the beginning of 

 June ; but deer of a year old will carry them till August 

 or September : these new horns are very sensitive, and the 

 harts at this time avoid bringing them into collision with 

 any substance. When they fight, they rear themselves 

 upon their hind legs, and spar with their fore foot, keeping 

 back their heads. They carry their horns just as long as 

 the hind carries her fawn, which is eight months. They 

 are not always shed at the same time, but one of them 

 occasionally drops a day or two after the other. I myself 

 have seldom found any other than single horns in the 

 mosses of the forest. It is a remarkable fact, however, 

 that the number which are picked up in any forest bears 

 no proportion to those which are shed ; and this cannot 

 arise from their being overlooked, for they are a valuable 

 perquisite to the keepers, and there is no part of the forest 

 that is not traversed by them in the course of the season. 



What, then, becomes of them ? Hinds have been seen to 

 eat them : one will consume a part, and, when she drops it, 

 it will be taken up and gnawed by the others. The late 



* Vol. ii., p. 492. 



