618 REINDEEE IN ALASKA. 



The illustration, Figure 2, PL VI, .shows the leaders of Lieutenant 

 Bertholf 's party l)reaking a path through snow that reached to the 

 belly of the deer. A strong wir}' deer, unmounted, was driven first. 

 In the deep snow lie could advance only by jumps, but his leaps broke 

 the way somewhat for the next few deer, who were also unmounted. 

 After a dozen or more unmounted deer had passed T)}', deer ridden b}" 

 a bo}' and girl broke the path still further until deer with heavy 

 loads could pass. Lieutenant Bertholf in this way broke his path for 

 160 miles through the deep snow. 



When the caravan halts the deer are turned out to pasture untethered 

 and allowed to wander as they will. The driver uses a switch to touch 

 up the slothful, but "some of the old deer do not seem to mind a 

 switch any more than does an army mule.'- 



The illustration, Plate XI, shows 'a number of reindeer digging up 

 the snow with their powerful hoofs to get at the moss beneath the 

 snow. As soon as spring comes the deer abandons his diet of moss, 

 which seems to be most nutritive in winter, for willow sprouts, green 

 grass, and mushrooms. The hoof of the reindeer is as wide as that of 

 a good-sized steer and prevents him from settling down into damp 

 snow or miry soil. 



KEINDEER LOANED BY THE (JOVERNMENT. 



The United States Govei'nment loans a certain number of the rein- 

 deer to the mission stations, or to individuals who have shown their 

 ability, reserving the right, after three or live years, of calling upon 

 the mission station or the individual for the same numlier of deer as 

 composed the original herd loaned. In 1891 the Congregational mis- 

 sion at Cape Prince of Wales was granted the loan of 100 deer. The 

 mission has since paid l)ack the loan, and now possesses in its own 

 right 1,000 head. 



A few of the herds, notably that at Cape Prince of Wal(\s, have 

 grown so large that the owners are al)le to kill oti' some of the extra 

 males for food for the families of the herders and to sell others to the 

 l)utchers in the neighboring mining camps. Last year deer for slaugh- 

 ter brought at some of the mining cami)s from $(50 to $100 each, while 

 for male deer trained to harness miners gave as much as §150 apiece. 

 The herders at this same station earned last winter $()00 in gold for 

 freighting with their reindeer to the mining camps. The deer were 

 work(Ml in (loul)le trace harness like horses, and hauled on sleds 7'.>0 

 pounds each. 



Of the (10 individual owners of domestic reindeer in Alaska to-day 

 11 are Eskimo. Most of them have served a live-year ai)prenticeship, 

 and having earned their deer are competent to care for them. 



Each owner has his own individual mark, which is l)raiided on (he 

 left or riiiht car of each of his deer. 



