HABIT AND DOMESTICATION. 281 



picious and wary. An alarm, from which the moose would only 

 flee a feAV miles, will send away the Caribou a whole day, at a 

 rapid pace, which takes him quite out of the country, and defies 

 the pursuit of the hunter. These are characteristics which do 

 not promise well for their domestication. When raised as pets, 

 like all the other deer, they lose their fear of man and become 

 very tame, and systematic effort through a long course of years 

 might, no doubt, bring them to a state of semi-domestication, 

 which, after all, is about as much as can be said of the domesti- 

 cated reindeer of Northern Europe and Asia. There is no other 

 domestic animal which propagates its species in that condition 

 which retains so much of its wild nature as these reindeer. This 

 possibly may be accounted for by the frequent intermixture of 

 wild blood among the domestic herds, which is said to be en- 

 couraged by the Lapps, as it is supposed to infuse vigor into the 

 stock. This is not a difficult end to accomplish, as the wild deer 

 often range the same mountains which are inhabited by the tame. 

 The domestication of our Caribou should only be attempted in 

 situations where the climate and food are adapted to the well 

 being of the animal in the wild state. 



In the few instances recorded, or of wdiicli I have heard, no 

 attempt has been made to breed them in the domestic state, but 

 they have been simply kept as pets, or for exhibition. So far 

 as I am informed, most of the efforts to transport them to Europe 

 have failed, they dying during the voyage. This may, possibly, 

 have resulted from a neglect to take along the reindeer moss, 

 which, as I have shown, is indispensable to the health of the 

 European reindeer, whether tame or wild. It is not too late yet 

 for a fair trial of the experiment of domesticating this deer ; still 

 it might be better to try and import those already domesticated 

 from Lapland, and if the greater size of the Caribou be desired 

 they could be bred to them. I am a little surprised that the 

 Hudson's Bay Company, which has ever shown remarkable enter- 

 prise and perseverance in the conduct of its business, has never 

 imported the reindeer for transportation purposes, wherever the 

 proper food is found, as they would certainly be more economical 

 than dogs for that purpose. 



THE ELK, OR WAPITI DEER. 



I have had a good opportunity to study the disposition of our 

 Elk and of all the other smaller species in my own grounds. 

 After all it is only in semi-domestication that we are enabled to 



