Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/733

ANTLERS. ANT'LERS (O. E. aaulUrc, 0. F. nntoillcr, from Lat. ante, before + orulitu, eye). The horns of (male) deers. For their structure, etc., see Deer. In the hinguage of British stag-hunting, eacli part of the horn and each stage of growtli receives a name, and many of these names serve to designate a deer of a certain age or fitness. These names are derived from and specifically apply to the European red deer {Cervus ele- phas), now preserved in many parts of Europe for the sfjort of stag-hunting; and they have de- scended from ancient terms, mostly French, orig- inating on the continent in mediaeval times. The following is a summary given by Professor A. H. Garrod in Cassell's Natural History, Volume III. "In the common red deer, in the spring of the year following its birth, the antlers are nothing

TYPES OF ANTLERS. a, Ruaine. ^, Normarrucerviue. c, Intermediate rucervine. d. Extreme rucervine. e, Sub-elaphine. /, Elaphiue. 1, Browtyne. •^, Tres-tyne. 3, Koyal-tynes.

more than straight, conical, and unbranched 'beams,' the animal being then knoTi as a 'brocket.' In the following spring the antler has, besides the 'beam,' a small branch from its base, directed forward, known as the 'brow ant- ler;' it is then termed 'spayad.' In the third year an extra front branch is formed, known as the 'tres,' and the whole antler is larger. The tres is sometimes seen in the smaller antler of the spayad. In the fourth year the brow antler is doubled to form the 'brow' and 'bez-tyne,' at the same time that the top of the main beam divides into the 'sur-roj^als' of the 'staggard,' or four-year-old male. In the fifth year the sur- royals become more numerous, the whole antler of the 'stag' being heavier than previously, only to be exceeded in weight by those of the fully adult 'great hart' with ten or more 'points,' each being larger and longer than the year before." In Scotland a deer with twelve points is known as a "royal stag;" but this number is sometimes exceeded. The finest heads are no longer seen in Great Britain, where the habit of shooting the best is leading to deterioration, and fossil antlers from British eaves and peat-beds are larger than those of any living individuals, rivaling those of the wapiti in size. Great heads have been ob- tained witliin recent years on the vast wild es- tates of eastern Europe. In many of the old Ger- man castles superb heads of sixty or more points are preserved : and Lydekker mentions one shot in Transylvania which had forty-five points and

weighed seventy-four pounds. It should be said, however, that this excessive number of points is the result of injury or disease when the horn was growing, so that a large, symmetric pair with more nearly the normal number of tines is a really better example.

The material of antlers is highly durable, and enters extensively into the arts for making han- dles of knives, umbrellas, etc., and various orna- mental articles.

ANT'-LI'ON. The larva of any insect be- longing to the neuropterous family Myrmelonidie. The kinds commonly referred to are only those which foi'm pitfalls, and not the members of the family in general, all of which do not possess this habit. The conical pitfalls which are used

ANT-LION. Showing the conical Pit with the Larva waiting tor its Prey.

to aid in the capture of ants and other small ground insects are excavated in sand, dust, and the powdered remains of decayed logs. Tlieir size varies with that of the ant-lion, but they are commonly about one and one-half inches across the top. There are two methods used in the formation of these traps. The simplest trap is excavated by powerful upward tossings of the head after the larva has buried itself below the surface ; thus, a funnel-shaped pit is formed. The second method is by crawling backward in a spiral direction just beneath the surface, and by means of the head tossing the sand to the out- side. In the bottom of these conical pits the larvae bury their whole body except their mandi- bles, which are spread ready for their prey. An ant, for example, strolling about and stepping on the margin of the pit starts a miniature land- slide on account of the looseness of the material in which the pit is excavated. This arouses the ant-lion, which begins actively to throw material from the bottom of the pit, thus accelerating the landslide and bringing the ant within reach of the jaws, which seize it and relax only after ex- tracting the juices from the body. The scissors- like jaws are grooved on their inner side, and thus by opposition a tube is formed through which the juices are sucked. The carcass, ex- tracted of its juices, is tossed outside of the pit. The posterior part of the intestine of the ant- lion is remarkable for being modified to form a spinning gland or organ. The adult ant-lion spins a cocoon by the aid of sand, etc., in which it transforms to the imago state. The "flies" have four expanded net-veined wings, which are folded over the abdomen when at rest. In most of the species the wings are transparent. About fifty species are found in the United States, most frequently in sandy or semi-arid regions. ANTOFAGASTA, an'to-f.a-gas'ta. A port and the capital of the Chilean province of the same name (Map: Chile, C 8). Founded in 1870. it increased rapidly in importance, despite