ANTLERS OF THE ELK 34s 



The heaviest antlers were those at eight years of 

 age. There were then ten points, 2+1 of which 

 were brow or "fighting" prongs C Kampfspros^ 

 sen"). A picture of '*Puck," which is given as a 

 frontispiece in Martenson's book, shows him at 

 eight years of age in his park, the wildness of 

 which seems to approach closely to the natural 

 forest conditions in which an elk may be expected 

 to thrive/^ 



At a meeting of the Zoological Society of London 

 Feb. 18, 1902, Richard Lydekker exhibited the 

 skull and antlers of an adult male elk "from 

 Siberia," which were commented upon as remark- 

 able for the practical absence of palmation of the 

 horns. Mr. Lydekker placed the age of the animal 

 at "at least six or seven years," the cheek-teeth 

 being about half worn. "Mr. Lydekker had been 

 informed that other elk antlers from Siberia were 

 of a similar type." Considering the lack of 

 palmation as typical of Siberian specimens, Mr. 

 Lydekker was inclined to regard this variety 

 as a distinct species. He accordingly gave the 

 name ^Ices hedfordics to the species, in honor of 

 the Duchess of Bedford, wife of the president of the 

 Zoological Society. "The occurrence in Siberia 



Martenson, p. 33. 



