CRUISE OP STEAMER COR WIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 115 



males in herds with their young until October, when they again all herd together for mutual pro- 

 tection and warmth. The domestic reindeer is somewhat smaller than the wild deer; its hoofs are 

 broad and deeply cleft. This allows the foot to spread when placed upon the ground, making a 

 large track, which gives the impression of a much larger animal, and one is disappointed upon 

 seeing the deer for the first time. Its legs are short, and its feet so large that they look out of 

 proportion. The reindeer lacks entirely the graceful form of the red deer or antelope, and as it 

 raises its feet very high when traveling, a habit acquired by wading through deep snow, and also 

 raises its nose high in the air, its appearance is very awkward and not at all suggestive of the 

 great speed it can attain — from SO to 100 miles a day. In its wild state it is very fleet and easily 

 distances all its pursuers, the gaunt, long-limbed wolf alone excepted. In winter the wild herds, as 

 they paw the snow in their search for the nutritious lichens, which instinct teaches them lie 

 buried beneath its surface, are often surrounded by packs of these hungry, ferocious animals, 

 giving forth the most dismal howls and darting back and forth in their efforts to frighten and 

 stampede the deer. While traveling from place to place in search of food they are almost con- 

 stantly followed by their tormentor, and should one lag behind but a few yards he is iustautly 

 surrounded, and pays for his thoughtlessness with his life. It is only -the instinctive herding 

 together of the. deer and the cowardice of the wolves, who will not attack men or beasts in large 

 numbers, that prevent the extermination of the deer. In the summer time the feet of the wolves 

 become tender from traveling over the sharp flinty rocks, and the deer enjoy a few weeks of free- 

 dom, as they can then easily distance them. 



Not only is the reindeer very fleet, but its senses of seeing, hearing, and sifielling are wonder- 

 fully acute. The regions which it inhabits are almost entirely free from cover, and the greatest 

 caution is necessary on the part of the hunter in order to approach without being observed. This 

 is particularly the case when hunting with the bow and arrow, on account of the shortuess of its 

 range. When the ground is bare the native hunters wear squirrel-skin suits, whose color is 

 nearly that of the mossy tundra. They approach from the leeward side by crawling on hands and 

 knees. At the slightest indication of alarm among the deer the hunter drops flat upon the ground 

 and remains motionless until quiet is restored, when he again advances, even more cautiously 

 than before, until within shooting range. When the ground is covered with snow it is still more 

 difficult to reach them, and the native hunters often resort to such strategems as digging pits in 

 the deep snow-drifts into which the deer are driven, or concealing themselves in the snow, where 

 tbe.v remain for hours patiently, and often fruitlessly, waiting for the deer to pass within range. 

 In very deep, soft snow they are sometimes easily approached by the hunters on snow shoes, when 

 a general slaughter takes place. The reindeer, both wild and domesticated, is greatly troubled 

 by mosquitoes, which, throughout the Arctic regions, come in great numbers as soon as the 

 bare ground appears in the spring. There is also a fly ((Estrus tarandi) which deposits its eggs 

 beneath the skin, causiug the deer much pain and itching. Sometimes, when tortured by these 

 insects, it is said they rush blindly into danger and become an easy prey to their enemies. The 

 skins of animals affected in this way are often so perforated as to be entirely valueless, containing 

 several dozen holes half an inch in diameter. They are also subject to various diseases, the most 

 deadly of which is called the Siberian plague. This disease attacks all, but is more frequent as well 

 as more fatal among the domestic herds. It is not unusual for the entire herd to die when this 

 disease appears. The flesh of animals afflicted with this disease is poisonous, and at times even 

 the men who tend the herds are attacked. 



The food of the reindeer consists principally of varieties of lichens, Cladonia rangiferina, 

 Cladonia cornucopioides, Cladonia incolis, and Cladonia gracilis being the most important. 



It is said that upon the west shores of Davis Strait the deer come down to eat the fuci which 

 are exposed at low tide. Some writers have claimed that the Greenland deer do not subsist upon 

 this moss. It is possible, however, that this is a mistake. There seems no reason why this hardy 

 plant, which flourishes in all other portions of the Arctic regions, should be wanting in Greenland^ 

 and wherever found the deer will eat it in preference to all other food. 



It is altogether probable that wherever reindeer are found there will be found the Cladonia, or 

 some lichen closely allied to it and equally nutritious, and that without it they could not exist, and 

 without the deer the tribes that inhabit the vast desolate plaius bordering on the Arctic seas 



