NATURAL HISTORY.— MAMMALS 



227 



southward in autumn, but how far, is not known. Rampart 

 House was a " deer post," being situated in a pass traversed 

 semiannually by the caribou. 



The whalers reported that the caribou were abundant among 

 the islands between the mouth of the Mackenzie and Cape 

 Bathurst in July, 1894. They also declared that they saw 

 steam arising from hot springs around which the natives say 

 that the caribou become mired in quicksands. 



Hearne has described the habits of this species and given an 

 account of the method of capture. The Copper Indians of 

 that time built large pounds into which the caribou were driven 

 and captured within the enclosure by the use of snares. One 

 of these snares (No. 10,839), which I obtained from the Dog 

 Ribs, is 9 feet in length and made into a hard line .25 inch in 

 diameter from 6 twisted strands of babiche. During a year's 

 stay in the country I saw but two such snares; their use has 

 been practically abandoned by the Yellow Knives and Dog 

 Ribs of the present day. At the time of Hearne's visit the 

 caribou were also killed with spears made of copper from the 

 Copper Mountains. At the present time thousands are slaugh- 

 tered by being speared in the back while swimming across the 

 long narrow lakes which are so abundant in the Barren Ground. 

 The spears are now made from old files which are drawn out 

 into a shank 8 to 12 inches in length, with a diamond shaped 

 head I inch in width (see specimen No. 10,843). Hundreds 

 are killed from a single band in this way; the light canoes sur- 

 round them, the bewildered creatures are herded together until 

 within reach of the long, slender spears, a single thrust of which 

 is sufficient to kill. 



In winter they are now hunted with muzzle-loading trade 

 guns. When the caribou are wary and few in number, the 

 hunter pursues them upon snow-shoes, stalking if the contour 

 of the country permits. When they are abundant, the hunter 

 takes his stand at the margin of an ice-covered lake upon which 

 converging lines of pine brush, laid at intervals of fifteen or 

 twenty yards, have been placed; the caribou will not cross the 

 lines but approach the concealed hunter, who usually kills 

 several before the band makes off. On one occasion two 

 frightened caribou approached my line at full speed; when 

 they caught sight of it they stopped, turned back and again 



