LIFE AND HABITS 35 



pounds of his weight, while the moose, in standing, is 

 under a pressure of eight pounds to the square inch." It is 

 therefore no wonder that the Caribou can travel with such 

 ease over snow. In the winter the hoofs grow larger than 

 in the summer, the ground being soft there is not so much 

 wear for them. Thus cause and effect are worked out to 

 the animal's advantage ; the larger hoof is needed 

 more in the winter, therefore by this simple action is it 

 produced. The hairs of the feet, which are long and stiff, 

 grow downward, and evidently assist in preventing the 

 animal slipping when travelling over ice or frozen snow. 

 While on the subject of their feet, perhaps the most 

 interesting part of their anatomy, let us see how thoroughly 

 they are designed for walking over the bogs or marshes 

 which form so large a part of the animal's home. These 

 marshes are in many places so soft that they will not 

 support a man. When I say they will not support him, I 

 mean that a man would be drowned if he attempted to 

 cross the more treacherous places. Then there are many 

 parts where a man can get through only with the greatest 

 difficulty and danger, sinking over his knees at every step. 

 The Caribou usually avoids the very soft and seemingly 

 bottomless bogs, but walks over the fairly soft places with 

 no apparent trouble, not sinking more than an inch or two 

 where a man would go over his knees. The idea that they 

 never get bogged is not entirely correct, for I have seen a 

 large stag go down so deep that for Rilly five minutes he 

 floundered in vain ; finally, after making frantic efforts as 

 he saw me approach, he managed to extricate himself. A 

 thoroughly frightened animal he was, judging from the 

 way he made off. I examined the bog, and found it to be 

 so soft, that even on the tussocks of grass I could find no 

 support. I do not believe that any other large creature 



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