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The Annual Increment of the Antlers of: the Red Deer ( Cervus elaphus )
Author(s) -
Huxley Julian S.
Publication year - 1926
Publication title -
proceedings of the zoological society of london
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0370-2774
DOI - 10.1111/j.1096-3642.1926.tb02232.x
Subject(s) - antler , zoology , cervus elaphus , herd , body weight , cervus , mathematics , biology , ecology , endocrinology
S ummary .1 The weights of the successive pairs of antlers of 37 Red Deer, 34 from the Warnham Court herd, are recorded. 33 series are recorded for the first time. 2 The mean annual increments in antler‐weight for the Warnham Court herd are as follows: ( a ) for all specimens for which data exist for 2 successive years; ( b ) for specimens for which data exist for 10 or more successive years:— 3 The season has a great influence on antler‐weight. In some seasons ( e.g. 1924) practically all specimens produced very poor antlers, the percentage deviation from the mean of all antler‐weight increments for that year being ‐200 per cent.; while other seasons are very favourable, e. g. 1923, in which the corresponding deviation of weight‐increments was +143 per cent. 4 The unfavourable conditions of 1924 caused a marked absolute decrease in antler‐weight in 7th‐year stags, a less marked decrease in 6th‐year stags, and a slight absolute decrease in 5th‐year stags. In 4th‐year stags, however, though the growth was very much reduced, there was an absolute increase of antler‐weight. 5 Since 1900, when the treatment of the park at Warnham with lime was discontinued, the rapidity of antler‐growth has not been so great. 6 The conditions affecting antler‐growth are discussed. 7 A method is given for estimating quantitatively the average performance of individual stags with regard to antler‐production. 8 The number of points in 1st growth antlers at Warnham is frequently 4 instead of 2, and 9‐ and 12‐pointers have been seen. Correspondingly high numbers for 2nd and 3rd year heads are recorded.