98 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



large and branched, while the other is of the ordinary prong-like shape, 

 and other instances of asymmetry occur. The antlers often attain a 

 very great size, sometimes measuring over five feet along the curves 

 of the beam ; the horns of the American forest race, known as Wood- 

 land Caribou, are peculiarly short, but well-branched, while some races 

 have very straggly-looking horns. 



This is the only Deer in which the does usually have horns as 

 well as the bucks, though individual cases of horned does have 

 very rarely been recorded in other species. The horns of the females, 

 however, are much smaller and less branching than those of the 

 males, and in Kazan the female Reindeer are said to be hornless. 

 The two sexes shed their horns at different times, the does dropping 

 them much later than the bucks, and not forgetting to remind their 

 partners of their defenceless condition while they have the chance 

 to assert themselves. 



The antlers are developed very early in the life of the animal 

 before it is two months old, in fact, whichever the sex, whereas those 

 of other Deer do not make their first appearance till it is nearly a 

 year old or even more. 



The Reindeer is one of the characteristic animals throughout the 

 Arctic regions, being found as far north as Nova Zembla and 

 Spitzbergen, but also ranging south as far as the Kirghiz steppes and 

 Lower Canada. It is migratory wherever the character of the country 

 permits it, and in classical times seems to have been found as far 

 south as Germany. In spite of its awkward appearance, it is an active 

 animal, being able to travel for long distances with great speed, and 

 to negotiate the most difficult ground ; it is a good hill-climber, and 

 in Scandinavia affects the high " fells," while at the same time, unlike 

 most mountain animals, it can traverse soft ground easily, and can, in 

 fact, get along over swampy country where any other animal would 

 inevitably succumb ; a tame individual has been seen to be bogged up 

 to the horns, and then extricate itself without assistance. It will also 

 manage to get along through soft snow, travelling by bounds like a 

 gigantic Rabbit : generally, however, it does not bound or leap like 



