280 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



ated, and at its termination retires to still deeper seclusion, where 

 with returned appetite he tries to recruit his flesh and strength, 

 wherewith to meet the rigors of winter ; but if he be an old buck 

 he but partially succeeds in this, and if the hunter has to depend 

 on his flesh to supply his camp he needs sharp teeth and a good 

 appetite to make it tender and delicious. 



The rutting season with the old animals commences in Sep- 

 tember and the fawns are dropped in May. With young ani- 

 mals this season is later with both sexes. In general it may be 

 said to commence at the time the antlers of the males are di- 

 vested of their velvet, and this remark is equally applicable to all 

 of this great family of ruminants, though, as I have shown else- 

 where, they are capable of procreation at any other season of the 

 year, and when opportunities are wanting at the proper season 

 they at least sometimes breed at other times of the year. 



THE CARIBOU. 



Of the disposition of our Caribou I know nothing from my 

 own observation, and learn nothing from others, except of their 

 fear of man and their efforts to escape his pursuit. I find no rec- 

 ord of a manifestation of courage even in desperate circum- 

 stances, and I learn nothing from the hunters of such an occur- 

 ence. Of the domesticated reindeer, in Northern Europe, which 

 is identical in species with ours, we know that they frequently 

 become dangerous during the rut, and even at other seasons 

 they sometimes become unmanageable and attack their driver, 

 but this frenzied state lasts but a short time, and they are soon 

 induced to resume the journey. As only the castrated reindeer 

 are worked in harness by the Lapps, this vicious disposition 

 which thus sometimes manifests itself when at work should be 

 considered exceptional did we not remember that the operation 

 of emasculation is very imperfectly performed , so that the stim- 

 ulating, or provoking influence is still felt, at least partially. In 

 all of the species with which I have experimented in this direc- 

 tion, after complete emasculation every vestige of wickedness 

 seems to be eradicated, and scarcely any courage, even, seems to 

 be left ; and I doubt much if the reindeer should be considered 

 exceptional in this regard. 



But few efforts have been made to domesticate either species 

 of our Caribou. The Woodland Caribou, at least, seems to be a 

 wild, restless animal, even during the winter ranging through wide 

 districts of country, and often changing his home, and very sus- 



