. Natural history. For the use of schools and families. Zoology. 96 SATUKAL Fig. 80.—Caucasian n)ex. precipice, unless he can shoot it before it reaches him. 164. TheCervidaj, or Deer family, are distinguished from all the other fami- lies of Ruminants, in having horns which are cast off at inter- vals, new ones grow- ing out in their place. In the young animal they are small, but in the full-grown Deer they are very large. These horns are also covered with a vel- vety skin, and are called antlers. While they are grow- ing there are blood-vessels in this skin, and from the blood in t


. Natural history. For the use of schools and families. Zoology. 96 SATUKAL Fig. 80.—Caucasian n)ex. precipice, unless he can shoot it before it reaches him. 164. TheCervidaj, or Deer family, are distinguished from all the other fami- lies of Ruminants, in having horns which are cast off at inter- vals, new ones grow- ing out in their place. In the young animal they are small, but in the full-grown Deer they are very large. These horns are also covered with a vel- vety skin, and are called antlers. While they are grow- ing there are blood-vessels in this skin, and from the blood in them the antlers are made. You can see on them, after this skin is stripped off, just the course of the large arteries, by the channels for them in the horn. These antlers grow very rapidly. After they have at- tained their growth, there is no farther need of the blood in the " velvet," and it must be got rid of, for if it re- mained there would be bleeding every time that the Deer should hit any thing hard with its antlers. There is a singular process for doing this. In the rings of bone at the foot of the antlers there are openings, through which the arteries pass. These gradually close up, and the supply of blood to the " velvet" is, therefore, grad- ually cut off. It would not answer to have' this done suddenly, for then all the blood going to the head would be turned in upon the brain, and such a rush of blood to that organ would be injurious, perhaps fatal. After blood ceases to be supplied to this skin it dries and readily peels. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Hooker, Worthington, 1806-1867. New York, Harper & Brothers


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1883