Red Deer 



67 



preserved in the old hunting schloss at Moritzburg (built 1540), near 

 Dresden, with antlers from the islands of Harris and Sardinia shows in a most 

 striking manner the great variations to which this species is subject. Some 

 of the antlers at Moritzburg measure 50 inches along the outside curve, are 

 10 inches in circumference round the smallest part of the beam, and the two 

 antlers carry from twenty-four to fifty points. The spread between the 

 coronal tines of one specimen is 74 inches. Antlers from Harris and 

 Sardinia rarely exceed 30 inches in length, their circumference being about 



Fig. 18. — Antlers of Red Deer. From a specimen in the Castle at Moritzburg, Saxony. 



After Dr. A. B. Meyer. 



4 inches ; they very rarely carry a larger number than twelve points, and 

 their span seldom exceeds 28 inches." 



A pair of the Moritzburg antlers are shown in Fig. 1 8. Nothing like these 

 are to be found at the present day, unless it be occasionally in Hungary, 

 and as these fine specimens are not recorded in Mr. Ward's book, it is use- 

 less to quote the smaller measurements given there. The contrast between 

 the Moritzburg antlers and those of the Caspian red deer is very marked ; 

 and it is very rarely that the short bez-tine so often found in the latter is 

 noticeable in the former. Next to the Moritzburg collection comes one 

 belonging to Count Arco-Zinneberg, now preserved in his house at Wittels- 



