276 



ANIMALS OF 



stretch. But, in such a case, the poor obedi- 

 ent creature fatigues itself to death, and, if 

 riot prevented by the Laplander, who kills it 

 immediately, it will die a day or two after. 

 In general, they can go about thirty miles 

 without halting, and this without any great or 

 dangerous efforts. This, which is the only 

 manner of travelling in that country, can be 

 performed only in winter, when the snow 

 is glazed over with ice; and although it 

 be a very speedy method of conveyance, 

 yet it is inconvenient, dangerous, and trouble- 

 some. 



In order to make these animals more obedi- 

 ent, and more generally serviceable, they 

 castrate them: this operation the Laplanders 

 perform with their teeth ; these become soon- 

 er fat when taken from labour; and they are 

 found to be stronger in drawing the sledge. 

 There is usually one male left entire for every 

 six females; these are in rut from the Feast 

 of St. Matthew to about Michaelmas. At this 

 time, their horns are thoroughly burnished, 

 and their battles among each other are fierce 

 and obstinate. The females do not begin to 

 breed till they are two years old ; and then 

 they continue regularly breeding every year 

 till they are superannuated. They go with 

 young above eight months, and generally 

 bring forth two at a time. The fondness of 

 the dam for her young is very remarkable ; it 

 often happens that when they are separated 

 from her, she will return from pasture, keep 

 calling round the cottage for them, and will 

 not desist until, dead or alive, they are 

 brought and laid at her feet. They are at 

 first of a light brown ; but they become dark- 

 er with age; and at last the old ones are of a 

 brown, almost approaching to blackness. The 

 young follow the dam for two or three years; 

 but they do not acquire their full growth until 

 four. They are then broke in, and managed 

 for drawing the sledge ; and they continue 

 serviceable for four or five years longer. 

 They never live above fifteen or sixteen 

 years ; and when they arrive at the proper 

 age, the Laplander generally kills them for 

 the sake of their skins and their flesh. This 

 he performs by striking them on the back of 

 the neck with his knife into the spinal mar- 

 row ; upon which they instantly fall, and he 

 then cuts the arteries that lead to the heart. 



and lets the blood discharge itself into the 

 cavity of the breast. 



There is scarce any part of this animal that 

 is not converted to its peculiar uses. As 

 soon as it begins to grow old, and some time 

 before the rut, it is killed, and the flesh dried 

 in the air. It is also sometimes hardened 

 with smoke, and laid up for travelling provi- 

 sion, when the natives migrate from one part 

 of the country to another. During the winter, 

 the rein-deer are slaughtered as sheep with 

 us; and every four persons in the family are 

 allowed one rein-deer for their week's subsist- 

 ence. In spring, they spare the herd as 

 much as they can, and live upon fresh fish. 

 In summer, the milk and curd of the rein-deer 

 makes their chief provision; and, in autumn, 

 they live wholly upon fowls, which they kill 

 with a cross-bow, or catch in springes. Nor 

 is this so scanty an allowance ; since, at that 

 time, the sea-fowls come in such abundance 

 that their ponds and springs are covered over. 

 These are not so shy as with us, but yield 

 themselves an easy prey. They are chiefly 

 allured to those places by the swarms of gnats 

 which infest the country during the summer, 

 arid now repay the former inconveniences, by 

 inviting sucn numbers of birds as supply the 

 natives with food a fourth part of the year, in 

 great abundance. 



The milk, when newly taken, is warmed in 

 a caldron, and thickened with rennet; and 

 then the curd is pressed into cheeses, which 

 are little and well tasted. These are never 

 found to breed mites as the cheese of other 

 countries; probably because the mite-fly is 

 not to be found in Lapland. The whey which 

 remains is warmed up again, and becomes of 

 a consistence as if thickened with the white 

 of eggs. Upon this the Laplanders feed du- 

 ring the summer; it is pleasant and well 

 tasted, but not very nourishing. As to butter, 

 they very seldom make any, because the milk 

 affords but a very small quantity, and this, 

 both in taste and consistence, is more nearly 

 resembling to suet. They never keep their 

 milk till it turns sour; and do not dress it into 

 the variety of dishes which the more southern 

 countries are known to do. The only deli- 

 cacy they make from it is with wood-sorrel, 

 which being boiled up with it, and coagina- 

 ting, the whole is put into casks, or deer 



