32 



MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



of the coasts and islands until September, when 

 they begin their return journey to the south. 

 The woods are reached in October, the bulls 

 seeking their winter quarters in the deep recesses, 

 and the females remaining on the edges. The 

 bulls do not go so far north as the females, and 

 meet the latter on their return from the coast. 



It is difificult to realize the vastness of these 

 migratory herds. Mr. W'arburton Pike saw, 

 in 1899, a band of migrating Barren-Ground 

 Caribou that took six days to pass a certain 

 point. He says: "With the increasing de])th 

 of the snow there was a noticeable migration 

 of life from the Barren Grounds. Ptarmigan 

 came literally in thousands, while the tracks 

 of Wolves, Wolverines and Arctic Foxes made a 

 continuous network in the snow. Scattered 

 bands of Caribou were almost always in sight 

 from the top of the ridge behind the camp, and 

 increased in numbers till the morning of October 

 20th, when we were awakened before daylight 

 by the cry of ' La Foule, La Foule ! ' and 

 even in the lodge we could hear the curious 

 clatter made by a band of traveling Caribou. 

 La Foule had really come and during its pas- 

 sage of six days I was able to realize that an 

 extraordinary number of these animals still roam 

 in the Barren Grounds. From the ridge we had 

 a splendid view of the migration ; all the south 

 side of MacKay Lake was alive with moving 

 beasts, while the ice seemed to be dotted all 

 over with black islands, and still away on the 

 north shore, with the aid of the glasses, we 

 could see them coming like regiments on the 

 march. In every direction we could hear the 

 grunting noise that the Caribou always make 

 when traveling ; the snow was broken into 

 broad roads, and I found it useless to try to 

 estimate the number that passed within a few 

 miles of our encampment. This passage of the 

 Caribou is the most remarkable thing that I 

 have ever seen in the course of many expeditions 

 among the big game of America. The Buffalo 

 were for the most part killed out before my 

 time, but I cannot believe that herds on the 

 prairies ever surpassed in size La Foule of the 

 Caribou." 



At such times the Caribou is an easy prey for 

 the hunter. The Indian's method is very simple. 

 In open country or on the frozen lakes, he will 

 start straight for a band of Caribou, regardless 

 of the direction of the wind. If they run away, 

 he will go back and report that they are wild. 

 Next day he does the same, and probably they 



are more ])layful and the slaughter is numerous. 

 Dr. \\'. T. Hornaday relates that " along the 

 Arctic coast, between Point Barrow and the 

 mouth of the Mackenzie, tens of thousands have 

 been killed by the natives and sold to whaling 

 ships wintering along that coast." In the water 

 the animal is speared by the natives in canoes. 



The importance of the Barren-Ground Caribou 

 to the natives can hardly be overestimated. It 

 may safely be said that the animal supplies the 

 staple food and clothing material for three- 

 fourths of Canada's great area. The Indians 

 and Eskimo make tents of hides sewn together ; 

 fish-hooks are made from the horns ; the skin 

 with the hair on makes the finest clothing to 

 resist the Arctic cold ; the flesh is eaten ; and 

 the fat, sometimes two or three inches in dejith. 

 on the back and rump, which the French-Cana- 

 dian hunters call dcpouUlc, is a valuable .article 

 of trade. 



By those who have had the most favorable 

 and frequent opportunities of observing it. the 

 Barren-Ground Caribou is regarded as a some- 

 what stupid animal. It is very inquisitive, and 

 will approach closely any new or strange object, 

 if the latter is only motionless. The Eskimo 

 takes advantage of this weakness. Placing him- 

 self behind a rock, he will imitate their hoarse 

 bellow, and in a short time some of them are 

 certain to draw nearer and nearer to the decoy 

 until they pay for their curiositv with their 

 lives. 



The animal suffers sometimes from a disease 

 of the hoofs, but this is not often very wide- 

 spread. Its chief tormentor is the gadfly, the 

 larvae of which sometimes perforate its skin. 



Mr. David T. Hanbury says that the migrating 

 Caribou in the Northwest " arrive in bands of 

 from about a dozen to as many as two him- 

 dred. Trotting quickly down to thj edge of a 

 river they take the water without a moment's 

 hesitation. They swim with marvelous speed, 

 almost appear to be trotting and they keej) up 

 a peculiar grunting noise while in the water. 

 The Huskies (Eskimo) wait till they are fairly 

 in mid-stream, then shoot out in their kyaks and 

 surround the band. The spearing then com- 

 mences. The slaughter is sometimes great. 



" The deer show no signs of diminution at 

 present, nor will they so long as the population 

 of the North remains as it is. They exist in 

 hundreds of thousands, it is safe to say millions : 

 and, the few hundreds, perhaps thousands, killed 

 bv the Huskies are insignificant.'' 



