16 ARKIV FÖR ZOOLOGI. BAND 6. N:0 4. 



This skull is kept in the Natural History Museum of 

 Stockholm and has been subjected to a renewed examina- 

 tion, which reveals the following. The antiers are compara- 

 tively short but strongly flattened, especially the proximal 

 part of the beam, as the figure proves. On the whole the 

 antiers resemble to some extent the Woodland Caribou type. 

 This fact and its origin make it almost certain that it re- 

 presents Bangifer tarandus sihiricus Murray, and Nordqvist's 

 supposition as to its distinctnes was also correct. The con- 

 siderable length of the nasals of this R. t. sihiricus has been 

 pointed out by the latter author. This fact is plainly seen 

 from the table of measurements which also proves that the 

 skull is not smaller than that of the typical Bangifer taran- 

 dus. The relä tive dimensions of the nasals are expressed by 

 the following percentages. In B. t. sihiricus the length of 

 the nasals is 39,2 7o oi the basicranial length but in Scandi- 

 navian Reindeer, wild and domesticated, it varies between 

 34,1 and 36,2. This great length depends upon the fact that 

 in the B. t. sihiricus the nasals project further backward so 

 that they reach on a level with the anterior orbital brim, 

 while in the Scandinavian and Finnish Reindeer they do not 

 reach so far. This is also conspicuous in the table of mea- 

 surements where it may be seen that the distance from crista 

 occipitalis to the posterior end of the nasals is considerably 

 shorter in B. t. sihiricus than in the members of the two 

 other races. The general shape of the nasals of B. t. sihiri- 

 cus is similar to that of the typical B. tarandus, and they 

 are quite flat in front as in the latter. In correlation with 

 the great length and backward extension of the nasals in 

 B. t. sihiricus the frontals are comparatively short so that 

 they measure only about 108 mm. in length mesially, while 

 the same measurement in the two skulls of Swedish wild 

 Reindeer is about 123 mm. In correspondence with the 

 shortness of the frontals the lachrymal vacuity is f ully twice as 

 long in B. t. sihiricus as in the typical B. tarandus. 



Another quite conspicuous difference is that B. t. sihiri- 

 cus has a considerably wider anterior nasal openin^ and the 

 whole nasal portion of the skull broader (but not higher) 

 than in the typical race. The difference in length of the 

 facial portion of the skull is, however, comparatively not so 

 great as may be seen from the measurements. 



