LIFE AND HABITS 37 



to be travelled. Even in crossing a small river where there 

 is much current the Caribou go in single file, each close to 

 the one in fi-ont, so that they present an unbroken line 

 with heads and raised tails to mark off the individuals ; 

 they go without sound unless frightened, when the calves 

 frequently give a curious grunt at regular intervals. 



All of this is taking us away from the Third Period, the 

 reader must pardon the digression, which seemed to come so 

 naturally ; but we must now return to the cold snow-swept 

 hills where we shall find that Nature has been busy 

 preparing the animals for the season of short days. 



To reduce the hardships of the Caribou during the 

 severe weather, she kindly relieves the stags of their heavy 

 horns before the snow becomes deep — the larger the horn, 

 the earlier it is discarded. We wonder, therefore, why 

 anyone should ever have spoken of the brow antler as a 

 snow shovel, for under no condition would it be used for 

 that purpose. For some reason which we cannot explain, 

 the does carry their little horns throughout the winter, but 

 as they are not large enough to cause any annoyance, there 

 is no particular object in removing what might prove to be 

 a useful weapon ot defence for herself or her fawn. 



To make the animals conform to the colour of the 

 whitened country Nature has caused the Caribou to become 

 almost entirely white. There are exceptions to this rule, 

 but the majority are either quite white or very nearly so by 

 the beginning of winter. What the object of this change 

 may be it is difficult, in fact I might truthfully say 

 impossible, to discover; it can scarcely be for protection. 

 The fact that the animals mass themselves together in such 

 large and therefore conspicuous herds would take away 

 any advantage that would be given by the white coats. 

 Besides which, their only natural enemy, the wolves, which 



