THE ROE DEER 
As in the case of other deer, the first antlers of the Roe are in the form 
of a single spike, which is complete at fifteen months; the second pair 
are forked into two prongs, the hinder one being the longest, and the 
beam measuring from four to seven inches. The third pair shows the 
complete form being three -tined on each side, and they are from five to 
seven inches long. In well -horned bucks the third antlers are often longer 
than this, but are seldom of any substance, being thin, with small coronets. 
A roebuck gives his best horns from the fifth to the ninth year, and these 
are from eight to eleven inches long in Great Britain, after which horn 
deterioration sets in, although the physical condition of the body seems 
to be in no way affected till many years have passed. I have known Roe 
to be kept in confinement for twenty years, which seems to be about the 
limit of their existence. Old bucks shed their horns in the first or second 
week of November. The new horns begin to grow at once, although 
much more slowly than is the case with other deer. This slowness of 
horn growth, with the consequent effect that it is no strain on the 
constitution of the animal, will account for the fact that Roe are often 
in their best condition in December and January. At this season fat is 
found overlying the buttocks. 
In old bucks the horns are half completed by the middle of January. 
They are generally complete in velvet by April 1, and are usually “clean” 
in the second week of that month. There is, however, the usual variation 
of a fortnight earlier or later according to age and season. Few roebucks 
weigh more than 40 lb., before being cleaned, but I have weighed one 
of 60 lb., a Perthshire buck of unusual size. 
In very old males the horns deteriorate to a single long snag. Owing 
to their habit of dashing through wire fences at full speed Roe bucks often 
injure the horn-growth whilst it is still soft, and, in consequence, heads 
with malformed growths are very common. 
Specimens with three horns are not very rare, and I have seen two 
with four horns, one of which is in my possession. I have a model of a 
Siberian roebuck (C. pygargus) which has no fewer than six distinct 
horns. This is considered in Germany, where such monstrosities are 
much admired, to be the most remarkable instance of malformation on 
record. 
When injury has resulted to the testes, the horns which are on the head 
of the roebuck do not form, but the soft fresh growth issues from the sides 
of the pedicles and covers the whole horn with a spongy looking mass. 
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