FOOD OF THE REINDEER. 33 



the hard and rocky ground of the fjelds, so the hunter 

 must make the most of such traces as he can find. It 

 is useless to pursue the deer with the wind blowing 

 towards the hunter, for they are keen of scent and 

 quick of hearing. They always travel against the wind, 

 so the best way is to stalk them on the flank, A pretty 

 sure sign of reindeer being in the neighbourhood 

 is when the hunter finds that the flowers of the Ra- 

 nunculus glacialis have been recently cropped, for the 

 reindeer are especially fond of them. It should also 

 be mentioned, that when a herd is on the move, sen- 

 tinels are thrown out in the rear, who never rejoin 

 the main body until all suspicion of danger has ceased. 

 The hunter must take care, therefore, not to advance 

 until these sentinels are withdrawn ; for if he is seen 

 by them, the whole herd is off at a gallop, to be seen 

 no more that day. In fact, reindeer-hunting requires a 

 great deal of patience and perseverance to be crowned 

 with success. 



Like the domestic cat, the reindeer dilates and con- 

 tracts the pupil of the eye, which cannot bear a strong 

 light. It may be mentioned, however, that it contracts 

 and dilates the pupil of the eye horizontally, while the 

 cat, the owl, and some other creatures, do this verti- 

 cally. 



In summer the food of the reindeer consists of 

 grasses and lichens, of the tender shoots of the birch, 

 and of various Alpine plants, especially the Ranunculus 

 glacialis, which grows on the highest fjelds, and close 

 to the glaciers, and is called in Norway rein-blomme, 

 or rein-flower. In winter it feeds on reindeer moss, 

 Cladonia rangiferina, and other lichens, as well as on 

 the tender twigs and bark of the birch. The animal 



