Stags’ Heads 115 
do not solidify, and are consequently of small weight. These horns are never cast, and the 
animal rarely lives to any age. The late Sir Victor Brooke made the experiment of partially 
castrating an adult stag at Colebrooke, but the animal died whilst its horns were growing, 
though it is very interesting to note from the illustration I have made of this head (p. 
107) that the deer was growing one perfect horn on the side on which the operation took 
A TYPICAL WILD SCOTCH HEAD OF FORTY YEARS AGO 
Shot at Erchless, Ross-shire. 
place, whilst from the other pedicle was springing forth a hollow mass of malformed 
epidermis covered by skin. 
A very curious abnormality of this description is given by Collyns of a head in his 
possession, the figure of which I have copied from his excellent book. He says, “ This was 
the head of an old stag which had shown the Captain’s hounds many a good run in the 
Cheltenham country as an uncarted deer. He became at last so vicious that it was thought 
advisable to emasculate him and saw off his horns just above the brow antlers. He 
remained thus shorn of his honours for four years without any appearance of fresh 
growth of horn, when, to the surprise of every one, a thin spire of horn, 6 or 8 inches 
CL 2 
