Exhihition of Heads of the Bed Deer. 211 
came from the back part of the distorted beam, and passed 
backwards over the head (See Proc. vol. i. p. 222) ; this stag- 
was believed to have been of great age. 
I have in my possession the head of a full-grown and 
mature fallow deer, Cervus dama, also showing a consider- 
able variation from the ordinary arrangement and shape of 
the horns. They measure each about 13 inches in length ; 
the right horn has a small brow antler 1 J inches long, a longer 
bezantler of 5 inches, and the beam, which is only very 
slightly expanded, is much narrower than usual, and has 
two projecting points at its upper part ; while the left horn 
has the brow antler represented by a small knob or point 
projecting from the surface of the horn, another point 
higher up may represent the second antler ; while the beam 
is hardly expanded at all, showing merely a small point on 
the back, and terminates above in a single point. 
In November 1857, Mr Andrew Murray exhibited a 
curiously contorted variety of the horns of the Keindeer 
(Proc. vol. i. p. 363, with figure), the distortion being rather 
curiously very much alike on each of the horns. 
These varieties in the character of the horns of various 
deer may suggest a little caution in our description of species, 
as, had w^e found any such strangely branched horns in our 
gravels, marl-beds, or peat-bogs, w^e might have been tempted 
at least to think about the possibilities of additional species 
of some of these genera. 
In conclusion, I may mention, that the largest head of 
horns of any recent Scottish stag of which I have notes, was 
a park-fed deer, the property of the late Duke of Athole, 
which was killed by another stag about fourteen years ago. 
It displayed no fewer than 18 points on its horns : and the 
cast horns of the previous year were 18 lbs. avoir, in weight. 
VOL. III. 
