MIGRATIONS 93 



at the plate-holder and shutter. The herd stood but a few 

 seconds, and satisfied that I was a very dangerous person, 

 armed with a very formidable weapon, they speedily vanished, 

 kicking up great lumps of snow as they galloped off. 

 Some of those furthest away, not knowing where the source 

 of danger lay, came crashing past within a few feet of where 

 I stood in the shelter of the spruces. 



The light was becoming very uncertain. Great clouds 

 were rolling up so that the sun was obscured most of the 

 time. In Newfoundland this often happens on mornings 

 which are unusually bright and clear. From a photographic 

 point of view it is most unfortunate, as very quick exposures 

 are impossible without sunlight, and it always happens that 

 the animals appear at the very moment when the sun is 

 hidden behind the heaviest clouds. There seems to be a 

 fate about it. 



An hour or so passed before my next visitors appeared : 

 a doe and a fawn this time — the finest pair I have ever seen. 

 I have mentioned elsewhere how much variation there is in 

 the appearance of the Caribou. Many of the does are heavy, 

 square-built, and lacking grace of form ; but this doe was 

 nearly as finely built as a wapiti, and the fawn was a picture 

 of grace and beauty, a perfect harmony of soft grey tones. 

 They approached slowly, and when within about sixteen 

 yards I gave a snort to stop them, and as they stood still I 

 secured the photograph which appears facing page 100. 

 Scarcely had this pair disappeared than a large herd, number- 

 ing perhaps seventy animals, came in sight. Evidently the 

 migration was in full swing, and the slight snowfall had 

 hurried the animals on their journey. It was a pity that 

 the light was not better, for though the herd contained no 

 very large stags it would have been a splendid opportunity 

 for making an interesting picture, as they were well bunched 



