82 NEWFOUNDLAND CARIBOU 



As already stated, the weather plays an important part in 

 the Caribou's progress. The colder and more forbidding 

 the weather the faster and more steadily do they travel. 

 Their speed is not less than five or six miles an hour 

 when they walk, which is their usual gait ; only under 

 rather exceptional conditions do they trot for any distance, 

 while they seldom resort to galloping unless they are 

 frightened. On warm days they take things easy, 

 travelling in a most leisurely fashion, and spending the 

 greater part of the day in resting and feeding, particularly 

 between the hours of nine and three. Then it is that one 

 sometimes sees the beautiful sight of many hundreds of 

 animals scattered about the open barrens in herds of various 

 sizes. At such times they feed and sleep, but never for a 

 moment do they relax their everlasting vigilance. Usually 

 each herd has its sentry, which in most instances is an old 

 doe, whose sense of duty is so highly developed that she 

 feels it incumbent on her to watch over the welfare of her 

 herd with unremitting care. She is the one to give the 

 signal for moving at the slightest intimation of danger. To 

 the constant watchfulness of these does I owe so many 

 failures to secure photographs, and I confess to a far from 

 friendly feeling, even though I am lost in admiration for 

 them. 



The migration season is, of course, the best time to see 

 Caribou in greatest numbers and with the least possible 

 trouble. It is only necessary to examine the country for 

 fresh tracks in order to determine which are the likely 

 leads, and provided that normal conditions obtain there 

 should be a practical certainty of seeing anywhere from fifty 

 to several hundred animals in a day, while on days when 

 the migration is at its height a thousand or more may be 

 seen. To the man who is interested in the creatures alfpe^ 



