156 SIBERIA. 



speedily replaced by others newly laid. The chase of the birds does not 

 begin until they are moulting and unable to fly, when a groat many of 

 the fishermen leave the rivers and go to their breeding-places. Trained 

 (logs are employed to pursue them, whilst great numbers are killed with 

 guns, sticks, and arrows, several thousands have sometimes been taken 

 in a single day. 



Besides the stores of fish and fowl, good house-keepers provide 

 themselves also with rein-deer meat. When the deer in large troops are 

 in motion, during tiie Summer season, a part of the hunters proceed up 

 the river Aninj in boats, wliilst otheis, on horseback, go to tlie shores 

 of the large lakes in the Tundra. The animals are driven by trained 

 dogs into the water, and are killed with the spear as they are swimming. 

 A skillful hunter on the Aninj may kill in a good season one hundred 

 deer. The most favorable season to take the rein-deer occurs late in 

 the Autumn, when they return in immense herds from the tundras or 

 moss-plains, in which they have become fat, to their winter quarters in 

 the forests. In good seasons the migrating body consists of many 

 thousands, and, though they are divided into herds of one or two hun- 

 dreds each, yet they press upon each other so closely, that they appear 

 to form but one imm.ense column. They always cross the river at the 

 same place, choosing a siluatiou with the most favorable banks. As 

 each separate herd approaches the river, the animals crowd together, 

 and the largest and strongest takes the lead. Fie advances, closely fol- 

 lowed by a few others, with head erect, apparently examining the lo- 

 cality. When satisfied he enters the stream, and the herd crowd after 

 him, and in a few minutes the surface of the river is covered with them. 

 Upon this scene so interesting the hunters have have been gazing with 

 intense anxiety from their lurking places to the leeward. Immediately 

 they rush out in their light boats, and dash into the herd and despatch 

 large numbers in an incredibly short time, whilst others surround the 

 herd and obstruct their passage as much as possible. Jt often happens 

 •when the herd is large and gets into disorder, that their antlers become 

 entangled in each other and then they become an easy prey to the hun- 

 ter. A good hunter will kill one hundred or more in less than half an 

 hour. He eflects it, however, at great risk. The males with their horns, 

 teeth, and hind legs ofler considerable resistance, whilst the females seek 

 to overturn his light boat which, if effected, would be followed by cer- 

 tain death. Yet such is the skill of these people that accidents seldom 

 occur. "-The whole scene," says Wrangell, "is exciting and curious in 

 the highest degree, and quite indescribable. The throng of thousands 

 ol' swimminjr icin-deer., the loud clashinL^ of then antlers, (he owift ca- 



