Fir Antlers HWYL 01 005

"The many branches with which the antler of the deer is provided, undoubtedly impair its efficiency as a weapon of attack, but they convert it into a shield which effectually foils the blow from a similar weapon, though it may not certainly ward off a blow from a single shaft. I have never yet known an instance, except in the case of the spike antler, in which either combatant received a wound in these sudden onsets. The battle is won by persistent endurance, or by some accident or want of skill or agility which exposes one to the reach of the other. If the branched antler is a disadvantage to the individual, there can be no doubt that it contributes largely to the well being, the preservation, and the improvement of the race. The most vigorous and active males are still left masters of the field and so become the progenitors of succeeding generations."

Caton, John Dean. The Antelope and Deer of America; A Comprehensive Treatise Upon the Natural History, Including the Characteristics, Habits, Affinities, and Capacity for Domestication, of the Antilocapra and Cervidae of North America. Houghton, Mifflin and Co, 1881.

https://archive.org/details/antelopedeerofam00cato/mode/2up