The  new  horns  begin  to  grow  as  soon  as  the  old  ones  have
dropped  off.  During  the  spring  and  summer  they  are  covered
with  a  soft  velvety  substance,  and  they  are  then  described  as


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being  "in  the  velvet."  The  blood  circulates  freely  through  this
membrane,  and  it  is  highly  sensitive,  so  that  a  blow  upon  the
horns  at  this  season  produces  great  pain.  By  the  time  the
"rutting  season"  commences  (in  October),  the  velvet  has  peeled
off,  and  the  horns  are  then  in  order  for  battle — and  they  need
be,  for  the  battles  of  the  bucks  during  this  period  are  terrible
indeed.  Frequently  their  horns  get  "  locked"  in  such  conflicts,
and  being  unable  to  separate  them,  the  combatants  remain  in
this  situation  till  both  perish  by  hunger,  or  fall  a  prey  to  their
natural  enemy — the  wolf.  Many  pairs  of  horns  have  been  found
in  the  forest  thus  locked  together,  and  there  is  not  a  museum  in
America  without  this  singular  souvenir  of  mutual  destruction  !

The  hair  of  the  American  deer  is  thickly  set  and  smooth  on.
the  surface.  In  winter  it  grows  longer  and  is  of  a  greyish  hue  ;
the  deer  is  then,  according  to  hunter  phraseology,  "in  the  grey."
In  the  summer  a  new  coat  is  obtained,  which  is  reddish,  or  calf-
coloured.  The  deer  is  then  "  in  the  red."  Towards  the  end  of
August,  or  in  autumn,  the  whole  coat  has  a  blue  tinge.  This  is
called  "  in  the  blue."  At  all  times  the  animal  is  of  a  whitish
appearance  on  the  throat  and  belly  and  insides  of  the  legs.
