180 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



When deprived of its external supply of nutriment, by tlie re- 

 moval of the periosteum, the outer portion has become thor- 

 oughly solidified, but the internal growth, except near the 

 points, is still incomplete, and is composed of cancellous tissue. 

 This is much more the case on young animals than on older ones. 

 As we have already seen, this contingency has been already pro- 

 vided for, by the blood-vessels leading in through the lower ex- 

 tremity of the antler. Through these, earthy matter is carried 

 up and deposited in the proper form of laminre closing up the 

 cells and pores, and oblitei'ating the blood-vessels, both above 

 and laterally. In the mean time, the arteries which passed up 

 through the butt of the antler and supplied the interior, were 

 becoming more and more compressed, as the lower part, and 

 especially the articular plate, became more and more solidified, 

 till finally they become entirely collapsed or cut off, and the cir- 

 culation above arrested, and the work of filhng up the inner cavi- 

 ties stopped before the interior of the antler had become com- 

 pletely solidified, leaving a portion of the interior still porous. 

 The extent of this interior spongy part varies considerably in 

 different specimens, not depending on a difference of the species. 

 This closing up of the arteries, by the solidification of the artic- 

 ular plate, takes place much sooner on old animals than on the 

 young ; still the canaliculi remain open for a considerable time, 

 and maintain a certain amount of life in the antler. But even 

 these at last succumb, or cease to transmit sufficient nutriment to 

 maintain vitality, when the antler becomes an inert mass of bone, 

 still so firmly attached to its seat that no available force can sep- 

 arate it from the pedicel at the articuLation. If sufficient violence 

 be used, the pedicel will be carried away with a part of the skull, 

 or the antler will break off above the burr. However, organized 

 matter cannot remain stationary. It must be either growing or 

 decaying. So soon as the former process is finished the latter 

 commences, at first very slowly, no doubt. 



Nature has made proper provision for this, as is clearly dis- 

 closed by a careful study. Let us remember that there were 

 three classes of arteries by which the antler was supplied during 

 the period of its rapid growth. First, external, through the peri- 

 osteum ; another, strictly internal, or those passing up through 

 the pedicel into the growing antler, and again, those which 

 branch off from the periosteum of the pedicel and pass through 

 the articulation into the antler. The first have been destroyed 

 by the closing of the surface canals through which they passed 



