276 The Caribou 



season, not one may be found in the same district 

 the next. In winter their food consists of lichens 

 and moss, which they obtain by scraping away the 

 snow with the hoof. In the autumn, especially at 

 the end of the rutting season, caribou are thin and 

 in poor condition, and they do not become really 

 fat until the following summer. The greatest 

 amount of fat is found on the back and rump, 

 and is sometimes two or three inches in depth. 

 This is called by the white hunters 1 " depouille" 

 and is highly prized and an article of trade. 

 The females lose this deposit soon after giv- 

 ing birth to their young. The flesh of this deer 

 is tender, and of fine flavor when the animal is 

 in good condition and not eaten too soon after 

 killing. But the flesh of a thin caribou has 

 about as much flavor as a chip, and equally 

 as tender. The Indians and Eskimo depend 

 greatly upon the deer for their subsistence, and 

 every part of the animal is utilized in some way. 

 The flesh, of course, is eaten, the stomach and 

 intestines also ; even the points of the antlers, 

 when in the soft condition, are considered a 

 delicacy. The leg bones are broken for the 

 marrow they contain, which is eaten raw, if 

 wood for a fire is not available, and the blood 

 is mixed with meat and forms a rich soup. In 



1 This is a relic of the old-time voyageur and French-Canadian 

 hunter. — Editor. 



