104 
THE STORY OF THE DEER. 
success and address of the combatants. It is a sort of wild joust, in the pres¬ 
ence of the dames who, as of old, bestow their favors on the most valiant. 
In solitary encounters, there being no- hinds to take the alarm, the harts are so 
occupied and possessed with such fury that they may be occasionally approached 
in a manner that it would be vain to> attempt at any other time. I know of one 
instance where the antlers of two stags fighting in this manner became so 
A YOUNG STAG WITH HIS FIRST ANTLERS. 
firmly interlocked that the victor was unable to disengage himself from, his 
dead antagonist, and was thus held captive until killed by a forester. 
THE VIRGINIAN DEER. 
The main group of American deer is represented by the well-known Vir¬ 
ginian deer, found in the northern half of the American continent. The varia¬ 
tions which occur in the antlers of the Virginian deer are only paralleled by 
