Woodland Caribou 



them out of their trot into a gallop and keep them at it they 

 never grow exhausted. 



" Countless generations on the northern wastes, where 

 there is no need of jumping, have bred this habit, and modified 

 their muscles accordingly. 



" But now a race of caribou has moved further into the woods, 

 where great trees lie fallen across the way, and where if there 

 is anybody behind them, or they are in a hurry, jumping is a 

 necessity. Still they do not like it and avoid jumping as much 

 as possible. The little ones, left to themselves, would always 

 crawl under a fallen tree, or trot round it. And this is another 

 thing to overcome, and another lesson to be taught in the caribou 

 school 



"One afternoon in late summer I was drifting down the Toledo 

 River, casting for trout, when a movement in the bushes caught 

 my attention. A great swampy tract of ground, covered with 

 grass and low bus'h, spread out on either side of the stream. 



"From the canoe 1 made out two or three waving lines of 

 bushes v/here some animals were making their way through the 

 swamp toward a strip of big timber which formed a kind of island 

 in the middle. Pushing my canoe into the grass 1 made for a point 

 just astern of the nearest quivering line of bushes. A glance at a 

 strip of soft ground showed me the trail of a mother caribou with her 

 calf. I followed carefully, the wind being ahead in my favour. 



" They were not hurrying and I took good pains not to alarm 

 them. 



"When 1 reached the timbers and crept like a snake through 

 the underbush, there were the caribou, five or six mother animals, 

 and nearly twice as many little ones, well grown, which had 

 evidently just come in from all directions. They were gathered 

 in a natural opening, fairly clear of bushes, with a fallen tree 

 or two, which served a good purpose later. The sunlight fell 

 across it in great golden bars, making light and shadow to play 

 in; all around was the great marsh, giving protection from enemies; 

 dense underbush screened them from prying eyes — and this was 

 their school-room. 



"The little ones were pushed out into the middle, avv'ay from 

 the mothers to whom they clung instinctively, and were left to 

 get acquainted with each other, which they did very shyly at 

 first, like so many strange children. 



49 



