116 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



difficult part of the trip. The scows were hard to manage and a great 

 deal of ice was encountered which hindered progress. In the end it 

 was found impossible to get as far as Fort Smith, and it was decided to 

 remain at a point seventy miles from the fort, where reindeer moss 

 was plentiful, until such time as the deer could be driven to their 

 destination, or until the spring, when they could be conveyed down the 

 river. The herd was kept here very comfortably until the spring, and 

 on the 20th May, 1912, reached Fort Smith, the total loss of deer en 

 route being nineteen. 



"The herd wintered satisfactorily and was in good condition in 

 the spring. The chief herder had selected a suitable place for them west 

 of Fort Smith on a point jutting out into a lake lying south of Great 

 Slave lake. There is plenty of reindeer moss in this locality and it 

 seemed in every way suitable for the keeping of the herd. However, the 

 flies became so troublesome to the herd in the summer that they stam- 

 peded. 



"Early in 1913, a new range for the deer was selected on an island 

 in Great Slave lake. Attempts were made to move the herd thence in 

 the spring of 1913, but owing to flies, they stampeded, and the attempt 

 ended in failure. In the fall, all but three of the reindeer died, prob- 

 ably owing to too close confinement. A larger range was provided and 

 the remaining three are healthy. It is planned to move them to the 

 island in the spring of 1914. 



"Considering the difficulties of transportation, the shipment was 

 taken through with comparatively small loss until the fall of 1913; but 

 the success of the herd is not fully assured until it is certain that they 

 can be controlled and prevented from stampeding at the time when 

 the flies are most active. If matters go satisfactorily with them for an- 

 other year, it may be advisable to consider increasing the number by a 

 further shipment." 



MOOSE 



The European moose was formerly under domestication and proved 

 valuable for transportation purposes in the cold northern countries. It 

 is on record that it once hauled a sleigh 234 miles in one day. For 

 divers reasons — ^the chief one being that exiles used it to effect their 

 escape — it became unlawful to maintain the moose in captivity in some 

 countries. Probably it would have developed into a valuable do- 

 mestic animal for northern latitudes had this prohibition not been 

 imposed. It is possible also, that the Canadian moose, which is of 

 greater size and strength, could be developed into a domestic animal 

 of value. Several cases are recorded of its being successfully used 

 for draught purposes, in the first generation from the wild state. It 

 is but just to add, however, that the moose has not yet been bred in 

 captivity. 



