Alexei,

You made an English error in vertebrate zoology!

 

ANTLERS  are ‘roga’ in male deer, elks, moose, reindeer, they are shed (lost) seasonally or removed from a live animal – panty u maralov.*

 

Ostap and Funt*** were dealing in HORNS of cows, goats and sheep, which usually come from slaughterhouses when an animal is gone for meat….

 

It may be worth to explore what exactly were, in 1929,** REAL horns/hooves products – only glue?**** Maybe I & P***** had something hidden here as well?

 

* antlers of young Siberian stags ("as used in preparation of medicament," says the dictionary)

** "The Golden Calf" was written in 1931 and, although I'm not sure, the events described in it seem to take place in the same year

*** Sitz-predsedatel' (a fictitious chairman who is hired for the sole purpose of going to prison after the firm's bankruptcy or when the speculation has been exposed) Funt

**** If I remember correctly, the official mission of "Horns and Hooves" was storing horns and hooves for the needs of mundshtuchno-grebyonochnaya promyshlennost' (industry producing mouthpieces and combs)

***** Ilf & Petrov

Alexey Sklyarenko