ALBURY DEER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13171, 8 May 1906, Page 6

ALBURY DEER.

Owing to the fact that stalking in a herd of deer has taken place in Canterbury this season fa the first time (says the Press), more than the usual amount of interest has apparently been aroused, hi the sport. The 14, 16, and 18-point heads that were shot at Albury have led a number of those who are not fully conversant with the subject to make comparisons with the 13, 14, and 15 pointers that were obtained by Christchurch sportsmen in North Otago this season. It may be explained, however, that the deer at Albury are fallow, and those in North Otago are red deer. The fallow deer are much smaller than the red, and instead of their antlers being branched they are palmate, or shaped like the palm of one's hand. The size and shape of the palmation chiefly determines the quality of the head rather than the number of points, though, as a rule, the larger the palmation the more points there will be. A number of fallow buck heads have been shot on the Blue Mountains, Tapanui, having 20 points and over, and there is no doubt that in the course of time some of the Albury. bucks will grow heads equal to the best of those at Tapanui. The term "royal," by which a red stag's head carrying 12 points is known, is not applied to a. fallow buck's head. When a report was published about a year ago concerning the deer at Albury, it was mentioned that they were fallow and. Indian deer. It is probable that the different colours and variety of shape in the antlers, according to age, led to the mistake being made. ' The fallow deer get their namo from the fact that their general slatcy colour resembles ploughed ground. There are, however, frequent variations in the colour of individual animals, some being pure- white, 'others yellow, others more or less ..mottled. A Cliristchurch "stalker, who was at Tapanui some years i.go, saw three pure white bucks, and while he was there a beautiful cream and whit mottled buck was shot. The (allow deer at Albury originally oame from Mututapu Island, Auckland Harbour, where the- herd is ownad by Mr. Read. -