RUMINANT QUADRUPEDS. 9? 



off, and the Deer gets rid of it by rubbing his antlers 

 against the trees. 



165. The females of this family, except in the case of 

 the Reindeer, have no antlers. In those species that are 

 found in extremely cold climates, as the Elk, Fig. 81, 



Fig. 81. The Elk. 



the antlers are apt to be flattened, " as if," says Carpen- 

 ter, " they were destined to be used by the animal, like 

 shovels, in clearing the snow from off its food." The 

 animals of this tribe are celebrated for both their beauty 

 and speed. They are distributed over all parts of the 

 globe, except Australia, and the southern and central 

 regions of Africa, these regions being supplied in place 

 of them with Giraffes and multitudes of Antelopes. 



166. The Reindeer is seen throughout the Arctic re- 

 gions of America, Europe, and Asia. It lives in summer 

 on the buds and twigs of small shrubs, and in winter on 

 a lichen growing under the snow, which it digs up with 



