THE EFFECTS OF GONADECTOMY AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF TESTOSTERONE PROPIONATE ON THE GROWTH OF ANTLERS IN MALE AND FEMALE DEER1

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Abstract
Knowledge of the seasonal changes in antlers and gonads of deer, combined with the observed effects of castration and admn. of testosterone upon growth, leads us to postulate a regulation of the antler cycle by the testes and pituitary gland. The effects of castration of adult deer indicate the existence of a non-gonadal (hypophyseal) factor responsible for antler growth and of a testicular factor responsible mainly for the secondary hardening (internal reorganization) of the antlers and loss of the velvet. Admn. of testosterone to ovariec-tomized [female] Virginia deer causes them to grow antlers.