REINDEER 9! 
Extract from a letter of Mr. J. G. Millais, 14th August 1907 :— 
“For the purpose of comparison with other local races of reindeer 
I give the measurements of the twelve best specimens of Newfoundland 
caribou which I have obtained in the island. In all scientific accounts 
dealing with the measurements of reindeer antlers no notice is taken of 
the size of the large brow-shovel, a matter of great importance in 
determining the respective merits of individual heads. Mere length of 
antler is not everything in judging the qualifications of deer heads, whilst 
in this species in particular we must consider beam, span, number of 
points, symmetry, and size of the large brow-tine, a feature which adds 
} so much to the general character. 
i Breadth of 
; Length Circum- brow-tine 
; on ference on anterior Widest Pants Tinkalaix: 
outer above margin from inside. a a eanity 
curve. bez-tine. base to top 
front point. 
46 53 14 31 45  Tamnapegawi Lake, 1906. 
| 46 6 14 30 35 Upper Gander, 1905. 
2 43 7 164 35 36 = Shoehill Ridge, 1906. 
42 6 163 34 44 Upper Gander, 1903. 
42 52 15 31 31 Resequit Hills, 1906. 
40 5 153 32 38 Upper Gander, 1905. Picked up. 
40 54 153 39 25 Do. 1905. 
38 53 15 28 35 Do. 1903. 
38 53 18 31 35  Millais’s Lake, 1902. 
375 63 174 30 32 Migwell’s Brook, 1905. 
36 7 163 29 49 Upper Gander, 1903. 
36 63 134 38 32 Kesequit Hills, 1906. 
“The points of reindeer are difficult to count. No point should be 
included that does not fulfil the old watchguard or powder-horn test, 
unless it may be a clean blunt snag at least half an inch from the main 
horn. 
“The Germans count everything as a point upon which a torn piece 
of paper will rest, but we regard all small excrescences that do not fulfil 
the old British conditions as of no account. For instance, Captain 
Cartwright’s famous ‘72 point Labrador head, which I have recently 
traced, and on which he counted every prominence has in reality 
53 points.” 
