Lomen: The Reindeer Industry in Alaska 247 
A CROSS BETWEEN A REINDEER AND NATIVE CARIBOU 
It is a pleasure for the natives to drive the reindeer, especially in racing. A span of these animals 
is said to have made ten miles in twenty-eight minutes. The animal here shown was photographed 
at the start of a ten mile race. It is fifteen years of age, and is a cross between a reindeer and an 
Alaskan caribou—one of the finest specimens to be seen in the north country for size and symmetry 
of body. This illustrates the great possibilities for improving the animals by crossing with the 
caribou. Photograph by Lomen Bros. (Fig. 4.) 
not altogether round, but partially 
flattened; in places they are nearly 
three cornered. The beams curve 
upwards and forwards and are sur- 
mounted with slightly palmated tines 
or prongs. They are supplied with 
brow as well as beztines. The antlers 
consist of nearly homogeneous tissue, 
lighter and more porous than ordinary 
bone. During their growth the antlers 
are enclosed in a soft membrane, which 
is covered with a velvety fur; they are, 
then, said to be ‘‘in the velvet.”” This 
membrane consists of a net-work of 
blood vessels which supply nutriment 
to the antlers. The antlers are claimed 
to be secondary ‘‘sexual characters.”’ 
When the velvet has peeled off, in the 
months of September and October, the 
antlers are full grown. Then it is that 
mating time—the rut—begins. The 
reindeer are unique in that the antlers 
are common to both sexes, though 
slightly smaller in the female. The ant- 
lers are shed annually, grown up males 
shedding theirs before the fawning 
season, the females after that time, 
and then the fawns. This is providen- 
tial and enables the weaker to protect 
themselves against the stronger, during 
the nurture of the young. The antlers 
are a protection, also, to the eyes of 
the animal during their duels, and when 
racing through underbrush. It is 
doubtful if -dehorning would prove 
advantageous, but experiments are 
being made. The size, form and condi- 
tion of the antlers determine the 
