Larry Smith, age 12, of Greensboro,

What is the velvet on a bucks antlers?

The handsome buck deer grows himself a new set of antlers every year. This year’s antlers are shed in the late fall and for a few months the proud animal is crownless. In early spring, often before the snow melts, two little bumps begin to grow high on his forehead. They are the buds of his new antlers, covered with a thin layer of flesh, skin and hair.

The growing antlers are fed by this covering of flesh which teems with nerves and blood vessels. It is the velvet which covers the handsome crown until it has grown to its proper size. Then its work is done and the velvet begins to peel away, leaving the tall crown of prongs uncovered.