REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION 



The Woodland caribou in these Western areas, of which there are said to 

 be two varieties, are of large size and it is from this district or the adjoining 

 portion of Alaska that the United States Government proposes to secure the 

 males to be used in raising the standard of its reindeer herds. 



In the northern Yukon, the Barren Land caribou are again in evidence, 

 although it is claimed that the variety there found differs in several respects 

 from those dwelling to the east of the Mackenzie river. 



One witness suggested the existence in the territory lying south and south- 

 west of Hudson bay, of another caribou combining the characteristics of the 

 Woodland and Barren Land varieties. While there was lack of definite inform- 

 ation on the point, it is for reasons given above, quite within the range of possi- 

 bility that in this borderland area, such a type may have been evolved. 



X limbers — 



Many witnesses gave valuable information regarding the large interior 

 region, but none had actually seen any of the reputedly extraordinan,^ masses 

 of caribou, though the evidence of Mr. J. B. Tyrrell as to the comparatively 

 large herd seen by him at Carey lake in 1893 is not only most interesting, but, 

 of course, absolutely authentic. 



Caribou near Carey Lake, X'.W.T. 



Photo by J. B. Tyrrell. 



From time to time the northern patrols of the Royal Northwest Mounted 

 Police ha\e reported the existence of enormous herds of caribou. The following 

 extract is from the report of Inspector Pelletier, who in 1908 commanded a 

 patrol which travelled from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, to Chesterfield Inlet 

 and Fullerton on Hudson bay, and returned to Regina. 



While on Artillery lake, on or about July 20 of that year, he states that: — 

 "At the south end of Artillery lake, countless deer were seen; the 

 bucks and does seemed to belong to separate herds. They were crossing 

 and recrossing at that point where the lake is quite narrow, ranging from 

 one quarter of a mile to a mile and a half in width. For a distance of 

 abovit two or three miles the hills were covered with them, and the water 

 was bridged in two or three different places at a time. This might appear 

 to be exaggerated ; I would ne\'er have belie\'ed there were so many 



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