42 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE RED DEER 



not satisfied by such a well-known textbook as Bell's 

 'British Quadrupeds.' The 'Field' has published 

 many articles of first-rate importance concerning red 

 deer and their heads. Mr. Allan Gordon Cameron 

 in particular furnished a fine series of essays on this 

 subject in 'The Field ' of 1891. In the course of 

 these, he pointed out that ' the process of growth has 

 sometimes been confused with the vital maintenance 

 of the developed antler. The vitality of the antler 

 does not, however, depend upon the surface nutrients, 

 which disappear, but upon the internal circulation, 

 which remains. Anyone who takes the trouble to 

 saw a cross section of the beam from the burnished 

 and hardened antler of a freshly killed adult Septem- 

 ber stag will prove two things to his own entire satis- 

 faction : (i) that the blood circulates freely through 

 the antlers at this season of their complete develop- 

 ment, when their power as effective fighting weapons 

 is absolutely in request ; (2) that at the same time 

 the porous interior within the solid periphery 

 occupies not less than four-fifths of the total diameter 

 of the beam. The blood continues to flow between 

 the pedicle and the antler till close on the time of 

 shedding ; and newly shed antlers often show blood 

 at the base, emitting an offensive smell if gnawed 

 or broken so as to expose the spongy interior.' A 



