RED DEER. 355 



now become obsolete, and most modern deer-stalkers 

 would be puzzled to distinguish a Spayard from a 

 Staggard, or a Knobber from a Brocket. Guillim, in his 

 " Display of Heraldrie," thus explains some of these 

 terms : — " Whereas some men are of opinion that a Stagge, 

 of what age so ever he be, shall not be called a Hart until 

 the King or Queene have hunted him ; that is not so : for 

 after the fift yeare of his age, you shall no more call him 

 a Stagge, but a Hart. So then at sixe yeares old he is 

 called a Hart. Now if the King or Queene doe chase or 

 hunt him, and hee escape away alive, then after such 

 hunting or chasing he is called a Hart Royall." In 

 Scotland the term Royal is generally applied to a Stag 

 which carries twelve regular points. 



A fine Stag stands four feet, or even more, at the 

 shoulders. The head is beautifully formed, and is car- 

 ried aloft with a very proud and noble carriage. The 

 tear-pits or lachrymal furrows are moderately developed, 

 the muzzle naked, and the ears about half the length of 

 the head. The antlers are long, finely curved, and rough, 

 their section being an irregular oval with a tendency to 

 approach to a sub-triangular form ; their normal develop- 

 ment in the adult may be considered as including three 

 tines directed forwards, which are sometimes named the 

 brow, bez, and royal antlers, and the cup, a-own, or surroyal 

 of three or more branches at the end. But these divisions 

 are subject to considerable variation, to which we shall 

 allude presently. The neck is somewhat long and thick, 

 and is heavily bearded on the throat with long coarse hair, 

 especially in the rutting season. The body is compact, 

 the legs long and muscular, and the tail short, being 

 about one-half as long as the ear. In summer the 

 general colour is bright reddish-brown ; the head and 

 legs being somewhat greyer, the throat pale grey, and the 



