THE ANTLERS. 231 
be no doubt that it contributes largely to the well being, the 
preservation, and the improvement of the race. The most vigor- 
ous and active males are still left masters of the field and so 
become the progenitors of succeeding generations. 
It has long been a prevalent’ opinion among hunters, and to 
some extent has been adopted by naturalists, that a race of com- 
mon deer the adults of which have antlers without branches, have 
established themselves in the northeastern part of the United 
States and in Canada, whence they are driving out the prong- 
antlered bucks. 
This is a matter of the greatest scientific importance, and I 
have taken pains to investigate it to my satisfaction, and am 
entirely convinced that it is a popular error, founded upon in- 
complete observations. The spike bucks found in the Adiron- 
dacks are all yearling bucks with their first antlers. The uni- 
versal testimony, so far as I have been able to gather it, is, that 
they are smaller than the average of the prong-antlered bucks, 
and that their spikes vary in length from eight inches, or ten 
inches at the very utmost, down to two or three inches in length. 
It is only the largest of these, that any have claimed to be 
adults. It is very easy for a hunter to say, and even believe, 
that he has. killed deer with spikes ten inches long, but did he 
actually measure them, and make a note of the fact, with time and 
place, describing its appearance, and take and note the measure- 
ments of the animal, or did he preserve the head, so that he 
could carefully examine it, after the excitement of the chase was 
over, or so that he could submit it to the examination of others ? 
I have never heard of such a case; such a head and antlers 
would bring more than many times the value of the largest 
carcasses ever sent to market. It is never safe for an observer to 
guess at dimensions, but he should always resort to measure- 
ments, and even then he must not trust his memory. All obser- 
vations should be noted down on the spot and at the time, even 
while the eye is upon the object, and be sure that every impor- 
tant fact is stated. He who waits till he gets to camp to make 
his notes, is sure to make them of little value. The very act of 
noting down our observations, leads us to notice many important 
things, which would otherwise be entirely overlooked. If hunt- 
ers and anglers would generally provide themselves with note 
books and measure, and whenever they kill an interesting speci- 
men would make careful measurements and minute notes of 
them, they would soon educate themselves into excellent natural- 
ists, and would add vastly to our fund of reliable zodlogical 
