1905.] REMAINS OF THE RED DEER. 211 



portion of the antler attached ; it is erect and tapering, and has 

 no tynes ; the upper portion is lost. The antler seems too i-obust 

 and the pedicle too long for the pricket, or first antler of the 

 Red Deer." 



He adds that the missing portion of the antler was probably 

 much longer than the part preserved. 



The next specimen was obtained by Mr. S. H. Needham from 

 a Pleistocene fissure-deposit in the Isle of Portland ^ and it is now 

 preserved in the Museum of Practical Geology. It consists of an 

 almost perfect left frontal with the base of the antler attached. 

 The pedicle is long, directed upwards, outwards, and backwards, 

 and the antler being obliquely set on the pedicle is still further 

 directed outwards. 



The last specimen to be noticed was obtained from the Holocene 

 alluvium of Moorfields, London, and is now in the Collection of 

 Dr. Frank Corner. It is a left frontal with the greater portion 

 of the antler presei-ved. The antler and pedicle are much more 

 erect in this than in the Portland example. 



The following ai-e the dimensions in inches of the three 

 examples : — 



Ilford. I. of Poi-tlaiKl. Moorfields. 



Height of pedicle behind 2-1 1-82 2-16 



Circumference of pedicle 3'5 3"8 3"75 



„ burr 3-9 4-75 5-0 



Length of antlers preserved ... 4-5 4-3 8'2 



It is obvious on comparing the three specimens that they are 

 referable to one species, and if the determination depended merely 

 on the form of the frontal they would be referred to C. elcqihus. 

 The difiiculty which has been felt in making this reference there- 

 fore arises in the elongation of the pedicle and in the Pricket-like 

 tyneless antler which it supports. 



Prof. Blasius, in his account * of the development of the antlers 

 in the Red Deer, shows that immediately behind the offset of each 

 of the principal tynes there is a " knee-bend," i. e. the beam above 

 each of those points is bent convexly backwaixls. He then deals 

 with some interesting cases in which the tynes have been sup- 

 pressed, and I would quote the following passage as particularly 

 bearing on the present specimens : — 



" So wie an einer Stange, kann an beiden die Mittelsprosse 

 fehlen, und nur durch die knieformige Biegung der Hauptstange 

 angedeutet sein ; dann hatte man der Forra nach einen Sechser, 

 der jagdmassig als Gabelhirsch zahlen wiirde. Fehlte auch die 

 Augensprosse, so hcitte man einen Spiesser, den -nian der Form nach 

 jedoch als Sechser ansprechen milsste." 



The Moorfields antler shows on careful examination a very 

 slight knee-bend behind and a little prominent tubercle in front 

 at a distance of two inches from the burr ; at a distance of six and 



* Blasius, J. H., ' Saugetliiere Deutschlaiids,' pp. 444-453, passage cited p. 447. 



