Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-11-22
THE DEER AHrLERs.
I slyiSery 81 Their Disappearance
When Cast on.


MyStery Of Their Disappearance
When Cxst ON.
The growth and Development OF the
antlers Of deer 10 one Of the marvels Of
the woods, says naturalist. The deer's
horn differs materially in its composition
from that Of all other horned animals. 1t
10 characterized by both animal and vege-
table growth.
1t sprouts from the brain without any
prolongation OF the frontal bones. 1t
rises and breaks through the sinews, takes
root on the bone and grows the same as
q vegetable. 1t is nourished by and &C.
cretes albumen upon the surface and dis
poses Of the fbrin the sane q an animal.
The age Of buck is always indicated by
the prongs on his horns. He is two years
old before he has any horns at all. In the
spring Of his second year the skin on the
top Of his head over the frontal bone be-
gins to swell. The horns Of the deer are
spronting. The swellings are the footstalks
from which they will spring. As the horns
grow the skin stretches over them, and
continues to do 80 until they have come to
the natural size of their annual. growth.
Tho skin at this first stage OF the horns
CROWN. No matter wnetner tne norns are
Inc SPIKES Oh the two-yesr-oio OF Inc
spreading antlers OF the>matured buck, is
soft, velvety covering, while all beneath
it Ii % yet but great tissue of blood ves-
seis' Inc oeers norns IN all the prehmi-'
nary OF cartilaginous stages are part OF
the animars nervous ana veinous structure.
Wniie Inc horns are IN the SOFT condition
the arteries which run up from the head
through them make burrows IN the yield
ing substance. II Is these burrows That
give tne bucks horns the rough, corrugat-
ed appearance they present after they are
hardened.
This stage in the growth OF deer's
horns 10 known in the woodsman's YER
nacuiar as IN the velvet. AS long as the
horns are IN the velvet they are extremely
tender and entirely useless to the deer.
This SOFT skin must be removed, but not
suddenly or harshiy, ana therefore It's re-
movaiis not attempted by the deer until
another remarkable function in the de-
sS>~k>>--~--s - s~F-~eSs'
II the soft skin on the horns were bro
ken before the arteries were disconnected
rom tner terminating point tnere would
be an instantaneous turning back OF the
Diooo TO the Dram, ana the deer would die.
fnis danger Is prevented Dy the formation
OF rough ring OF bone around the base OF
eacn norm, Inc rougnness OF the lorna
ion DelnR caused oy the grooves oe-
signed for the passage OF the arteries
through tnem.
inese grooves are gradually contracted
as the new bone forms until the arteries
are compressed as oy hgatures' ana the
cifculation OF Inc oiooo ABOVE the rings OF
SKID mus deprived OF Ms VITAL source oies
anu peers on " Inc norns' PROCESS VI
separation "hich tne DUCK nastens Dy
ruDoing the norns against LIS trunks OF
rough parked trees.
Ihls rupDing OF tne horns against the
trees dispiaces more OF less Dark from the
trees ana leaves iavorite sign 10 the per-
son passing through tne WOODS ana wise
in the ways OF their WHO creatures that
1nere arc ueer aoou'. "nen INC VELVET IS
! on the horns they nave reached tne per-
iect stage accoruinK W Inc ase VI 'ne
buck.
The buck deer's hrst horns DO not come
to the dignity OF antlers. They are simply
PAIR OF graceful, snafp-pointeo spike
like proportions hence the term spike
horn among hunters. Each succeeding
year adds prong TO the DUCKS horns
and Wnen ne Is adorned with MS PROUD
headgear OF i've branching prongs, 81
woodsmen know that ne cannot DC lesf
than seven years old. When the Rornf
are thus nve-pronged, they are the per
feot and complete antlers OF the DUCK, any
greater number OF prongs or points nav
ing no signincance excepting as freaks o.
nature.
When spring approaches, new set O
horns begins to sprout beneath the Ole