THE WOODLAND CARIBOU 153 



The Newfoundland caribou were until recently 

 listed as woodland caribou, but they have now been 

 classified as a new species " chiefly on account of their 

 light color." Their habits being the same as those of 

 other woodland caribou, and the methods of pursuit 

 being also the same, the sportsmen disregard these 

 technical differences just as they do the ornithological 

 separation of the gray ruffed grouse from the plain 

 every-day ruffed grouse. The caribou were formerly 

 very abundant in Newfoundland, and they are by no 

 means scarce to-day. There has been a tremendous 

 slaughter of these animals every winter, and Mr. 

 McGrath says "the mail steamer plying along that 

 coast has frequently brought to St. Johns consign- 

 ments of 500 carcasses of caribou ; that venison sells for 

 two and three cents a pound in the meat-markets of 

 the city ; that the charitable societies buy it to dis- 

 tribute among the poor ; and that in the fishing-ham- 

 lets the people salt down the meat for use as a staple 

 article of diet during the ensuing spring ; the carcasses 

 have been shipped to St. Pierre in schooners to be 

 used by the French fishermen in baiting their peri- 

 winkle traps on the Grand Banks, and it is not un- 

 common for caribou-meat to be fed to the dogs." The 

 same writer says that these caribou are " in appear- 

 ance like an Alderne}' cow, with short legs and broad 

 feet which enable them to traverse the snow and wet 

 marshes rapidly and easily. They weigh from five 

 hundred to seven hundred pounds, stand about four 

 feet six inches high ; and afford excellent sport to the 

 still-hunter." 



The caribou feed largely upon lichens and moss. 



