THE WILD REINDEER OF NORWAY. 19 



of the herds as the Laps, who almost identify them- 

 selves with their deer, live constantly with them, 

 and being a nomadic race, these animals forming 

 their sole source of wealth, accompany them in any 

 partial migrations they may make in search of fresh 

 pasturage, and are constantly at hand to protect 

 the herd against the attacks of beasts of prey. 

 In consequence of the constant depredations com- 

 mitted by wolves, the keeping of tame reindeer was 

 almost entirely given up, and there are compara- 

 tively few now in Norway proper. There is, how- 

 ever, a herd of about 300 near Vossevangen, 

 between Gudvangen and Bolstadoren. 



The tame deer are considerably smaller than the 

 majority of the wild specimens, and the horns do 

 not attain anything like the same magnificent size. 

 The colour is much the same, though white and 

 greyish- white individuals occur more frequently in 

 the tame variety. 



In Finmark the tame reindeer are greatly 

 tormented in the summer by a species of breeze 

 fly, CEstrus tarandi, which I believe is peculiar to 

 the animal ; this insect, called Snupok by the Laps, 

 lays its eggs on the hair of the deer's back, and the 

 larvae, when hatched, eat their way beneath the skin, 

 where they, like those of the CEstrus of England, 

 which attacks cattle, form a considerable swelling. 

 These larvae, called Kurbma in Lappish, occasion 



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