THE ANTLERS. 913 
appear the next ; still the four first tines and a bifurcation above 
them, may, with considerable confidence, be relied upon, for all 
after the first are forked near the ends; frequently the specimens 
taken from the older bucks show three tines at the upper fork. 
The second and subsequent antlers present forms of the same 
general characteristics, though they are subject to considerable 
variation in detail. These antlers rise with a lateral inclination 
more or less pronounced, some being very spreading while others 
are much more vertical. They assume at first an anterior direc- 
tion, and then curve backward. All the normal tines have an 
anterior projection, though frequently abnormal tines or snags 
occur which violate this law. : 
The burr is large and rough. The brow-tine springs from 
immediately above the burr, in a descending and lateral direc- 
tion; but at about one third its length from the point, it com- 
mences a graceful upward curve so that the point stands nearly 
vertical. The terminal point is very sharp. Immediately above 
the brow-tine, the bez-tine springs out in a less depressed and 
more lateral direction. It is nearly the same length and form as 
the brow-tine; above this the beam becomes reduced in size and 
rises as a naked round shaft, till the royal-tine is thrown out. 
This is generally considerably smaller than those below, and has 
an upward inclination. In this it differs from the antlers on the 
stag of Europe, where the royal-tine is usually larger than the 
brow-tine. In Europe, also, on the red deer, the bez-tine is 
usually much smaller than the brow-tine, though I have met with 
specimens there, which correspond with our Elk in these par- 
ticulars, and I have met with specimens grown here, having the 
small bez-tine and more frequently with the large royal-tine. 
I have in my collection a very large fossil antler, on which the 
royal-tine is as large proportionately as any I ever saw from the 
red deer. 
Up to and including the royal-tine, usually both antlers are 
very much alike. Above this, while they generally nearly cor- 
respond in length and volume, they are quite likely to differ in 
the number and size of their prongs; but we may always expect 
to find them near the ends, either bifurcated or trifurcated. On 
the red deer it is not uncommon to find the upper part of the 
antler greatly expanded, with a deep indentation, forming a cup 
of the capacity of a gill or more, from the irregular rim of which 
several tines, probably of unequal length, spring up. These are 
called crown antlers. When studying these abroad, I regarded 
