THE HORNS. 27 



and well polished, and is black, except that the top is frequently 

 of a white or dull yellowish shade. The lower part, which is 

 hollow, is flat, thinnest anteriorly, is striated and rough, with 

 more or less hairs on the surface till they are worn off. No 

 annular ridges, as is usually observed on the hollow horns of 

 other ruminants, are observed. These ridges result from the 

 groAvth of the horn being principally at the base, while, as we 

 shall see, the growth of the horn of this animal commences at 

 the top and proceeds downward to the base. Whoever will 

 carefully study the process of the growth of this horn will readily 

 understand why it is striated in structure instead of annular. 



The older the animal is the earlier in the season does the horn 

 mature, and the sooner it is cast off, in obedience to a universal 

 law which governs the growth and shedding of the antlers of the 

 deer, although there are occasional exceptions, as to the time of 

 the shedding in individual cases in some of the species of deer, 

 and possibly more extended observations would show exceptions 

 in this animal. The aged specimens usually cast their horns in 

 October, while the kid cari-ies his first horns till January. Indeed 

 on late kids the horns are but slightly developed the first year, 

 and are frequently carried over and grow on to maturity the 

 next year, when they become larger than when they mature the 

 first season, and are cast earlier. 



The horn of this animal is situated just above the eye, directly 

 upon the super-orbital arch ; it rises nearly in a vertical posi- 

 tion, or at an angle of about one hundred degrees to the face, 

 so far as the core extends, when soon commences a posterior cur- 

 vature, growing shorter towards the point, where it much re- 

 sembles that on the chamois. The horn of the female cannot be 

 detected on the kid, on the yearling it can easily be felt ; later I 

 have found them half an inch long, and less than that in diameter 

 at the base, and it is only on the' fully adult female that the 

 horn appears above the hair. I have never met one more than 

 one inch long, but others have found them three inches long. 

 The female is less cornuted than the females of hollow horned 

 animals which are persistent, while, with one exception, females 

 of those species which have deciduous corneous members are en- 

 tirely unprovided with these weapons. When looking for some- 

 thing intermediate between these two great families of ruminants, 

 this feature may be referred to at least as a make-weight in the 

 argument. 



I will first describe the superficial occurrences which are man- 



