OF THE POLAR SEA. 7 



sitory visit to their favourite pastures in the 

 barren country, but their principal movement to 

 the northward commences generally in the end 

 of April, when the snow first begins to melt on 

 the sides of the hills, and early in May, when 

 large patches of the ground are visible, they are 

 on the banks of the Copper-Mine River. The 

 females take the lead in this spring migration, 

 and bring forth their young on the sea-coast about 

 the end of May or beginning of June. There are 

 certain spots or passes well known to the Indians, 

 through which the deer invariably pass in their 

 migrations to and from the coast, and it has been 

 observed that they always travel against the wind. 

 The principal food of the rein-deer in the barren 

 grounds, consists of the ceiraria nwalis and cti- 

 cullata, cenomyce rangiferim, cornicularia ochri- 

 leuca, and other lichens, and they also eat the 

 hay or dry grass which is found in the swamps in 

 autumn. In the woods they feed on the different 

 lichens which hang from the trees. They are 

 accustomed to gnaw their fallen antlers, and are 

 said also to devour mice. 



The weight of a ftill grovm barren-ground deer, 

 exclusive of the offal, varies from ninety to one 

 hundred and thirty pounds. There is, however, 

 a much larger kind found in the woody parts of 

 the country, whose carcass weighs from two hun- 



