962 THE UNGULATES, OR HOOFED MAMMALS 



Mr. Caton says, " that the woodland caribou feeds on leaves, grasses, 

 and aquatic plants, but its great source is lichens. It frequents marshy 

 and swampy grounds more than any other of the Deer family, for which it is admir- 

 ably adapted, and where it is well protected from pursuit. In the winter it resorts 

 to the dense forests on higher ground." I^ike the European variety, the American 

 reindeer is an animal of great endurance and speed, and can trot faster than most 

 horses. In disposition, the caribou is shy and wary, and to ensure a successful stalk 

 requires all the powers of the sportsman. To hunt these animals in deep snow on 

 foot, or on the open ground with dogs, is said to be mere waste of time, as in the 

 one case the animal, by the aid of its broad hoofs, makes its way over the snow with- 

 out any difficulty, while in the other it easily distances and tires out its pursuers. 



Woodland caribou migrate in herds of from one hundred to two hundred, or 

 even as many as five hundred head. During these periodical migrations, Mr. L,ett 

 says that " they are easily killed in vast numbers by taking advantage of the wind, 

 and shooting them as they pass along. They are also frequently surprised crossing 

 rivers or lakes that intersect their lines of march, when they become an easy prey to 

 hunters in canoes. In winter they are often seen upon the ice on inland lakes. On 

 such occasions they can be easily shot, provided they neither see nor smell the 

 hunter. The instant, however, they catch the scent of their hidden foe, they vanish 

 like a streak of light. I have heard it said by those who have seen them scudding 

 over the ice, like shadows, that in an incredibly short space of time they appeared 

 to the naked eye not larger than rabbits." Indeed, so swift are they on the ice, that 

 when caribou once set foot on it, the hunter who knows his business immediately 

 gives up the pursuit as hopeless. Solitary caribou are more wary, and consequently 

 more difficult to stalk, than those in a herd. 



The time when caribou are most easily killed is during the months of March 

 and April, the snow having then a thin cake of ice on the surface, through which the 

 animals are constantly breaking, and are thus run down without much difficulty by 

 hunters on snowshoes. 



There appears to be a lack of information as to the breeding habits both of the 

 caribou and of the wild reindeer of the Old World. The pairing season of the 

 barren-ground caribou is, however, said to be in the winter; while that of the wood- 

 land variety is in September. In the case of the latter, the antlers of the bucks are 

 shed in December, while those of the does do not fall until spring. The fawns are 

 produced in May, and are either one or two in number. 



Owing to incessant pursuit, in season and out of season, the numbers of the 

 caribou have been greatly reduced in many districts; but, in Newfoundland, these 

 animals are now protected by special laws. 



THE ELK OR MOOSE 

 Genus Alces 



The largest living representative of the Deer family is the somewhat ungainly- 

 looking animal known in Europe as the elk, and in North America as the moose 



