150 THE REIN-DEER. 



mer, is the young shoots of the "birch and willow, 

 with a variety of mountain pasture and shrubs. 

 During summer a migration to the coast appears es- 

 sential to their health ; and when in a state of domes- 

 tication, this is yearly observed by the family of the 

 Laplander migrating with his herds, for a sojourn of 

 some months to the vicinity of the sea. In winter, 

 the food consists in a great part of various lichens, 

 but principally the rein-deer moss, as it is called, 

 Cenomyce rangiferina. In seeking for this, they 

 use their broad hoofs, and sometimes the horns, to 

 remove the snow; and the sense which the animal 

 possesses to search for the plant, and to know the 

 part of the ground where it grows, under a deep 

 covering of snow, is extremely fine. " The natural 

 quickness in this respect," says Brooke, " is amazing. 

 When a halt with the sledges was made, they quickly 

 set themselves to uncover the moss, but if the stop- 

 page happened to be on a lake, the attempt was never 

 made, though the snow, as in the other case, was 

 some feet in depth above the ice." * 



There is a singular propensity in the rein-deer to 

 feed on the lemmings, which they seize and devour 

 with a sort of unrestrainable passion. During the 

 migrations of these little animals, the herdsman is 

 frequently unable to keep his deer together, they dis- 

 perse so widely and eagerly in search of them. 



Several attempts have been made to introduce the 



* Sir A. C. Brooke, p. 502. 



