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  THE 
  VERTEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  horns 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  are, 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  cases, 
  short 
  

   and 
  small, 
  whereas, 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  above 
  stated, 
  large 
  well- 
  

   formed 
  "royal 
  heads" 
  were 
  quite 
  common. 
  Even 
  these, 
  

   however, 
  were 
  small 
  in 
  comparison 
  to 
  the 
  antlers 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  race 
  that 
  are 
  now 
  and 
  again 
  dug 
  up 
  in 
  peat 
  mosses. 
  

   In 
  the 
  Peterhead 
  Museum 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  deer's 
  horns 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  the 
  peat 
  mosses 
  of 
  Buchan 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  

   Ythan, 
  that 
  for 
  length 
  and 
  thickness 
  are, 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  at 
  least, 
  double 
  that 
  which 
  obtained 
  forty 
  years 
  ago, 
  

   and 
  these 
  again 
  were 
  of 
  far 
  greater 
  bulk 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  to-day. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  plain 
  that 
  the 
  Red 
  Deer 
  of 
  Britain 
  has 
  been 
  on 
  the 
  

   down 
  grade 
  for 
  many 
  generations 
  back, 
  and 
  long 
  before 
  there 
  

   could 
  have 
  been 
  any 
  serious 
  interference 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  man. 
  

   In 
  support 
  of 
  this, 
  we 
  may 
  quote 
  from 
  the 
  N. 
  S. 
  A. 
  of 
  Kin- 
  

   cardineshire, 
  p. 
  155, 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  "In 
  the 
  deepest 
  part 
  of 
  

   a 
  small 
  peat 
  bog 
  called 
  the 
  Hog's 
  Hole, 
  lying 
  between 
  the 
  

   estate 
  of 
  Kair 
  and 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Old-cake, 
  the 
  skeletons 
  of 
  

   two 
  Red 
  Deers 
  were 
  found 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  in 
  cutting 
  a 
  

   deep 
  ditch 
  through 
  it. 
  The 
  horns 
  are 
  of 
  extraordinary 
  

   size, 
  and 
  are 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  vestibule 
  of 
  Arbuthnot 
  House. 
  

   The 
  extreme 
  breadth 
  between 
  the 
  horns 
  of 
  one 
  is 
  four 
  

   feet, 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  horns 
  3 
  feet 
  11 
  inches. 
  The 
  left 
  

   horn 
  has 
  eight 
  antlers, 
  the 
  longest 
  of 
  which 
  measures 
  18 
  

   inches 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  right 
  seven 
  antlers, 
  the 
  longest 
  of 
  which 
  

   measures 
  17 
  inches. 
  The 
  extreme 
  breadth 
  between 
  the 
  horns 
  

   of 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  3 
  feet 
  11 
  inches, 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  longest 
  horn 
  

   3 
  feet 
  6 
  inches. 
  There 
  are 
  seven 
  antlers 
  on 
  each 
  horn, 
  the 
  

   longest 
  of 
  which 
  measures 
  15 
  inches." 
  It 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  

   wherever 
  such 
  horns 
  are 
  found, 
  they 
  are 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  

  

  In 
  Munro's 
  Prehistoric 
  Scotland, 
  p. 
  108, 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  

   Red 
  Deer, 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  will 
  only 
  further 
  remark 
  that 
  the 
  horns 
  

   disenterred 
  from 
  marl 
  pits 
  and 
  the 
  older 
  turbaries, 
  appear 
  to 
  

   indicate 
  animals 
  decidedly 
  larger 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   day. 
  At 
  anyrate, 
  nowhere 
  throughout 
  Europe 
  could 
  we 
  

   find 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  a 
  Stag's 
  head 
  to 
  match 
  with 
  

   two," 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  "found 
  in 
  the 
  Meadows, 
  Edin- 
  

   burgh, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  in 
  a 
  moss 
  at 
  Ashkirk, 
  Roxburghshire." 
  

   The 
  Edinburgh 
  one 
  has 
  17 
  points, 
  and 
  the 
  Ashkirk 
  one 
  

   23 
  points. 
  There 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  Aberdeen 
  Art 
  Gallery 
  a 
  

   pair 
  of 
  Stag's 
  horns 
  which 
  far 
  surpass 
  in 
  size 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  