24 INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 



made to sell 168 female deer to the Government and deliver them 

 at the Teller remdeer station sometime during the winter. Con- 

 siderable difficulty was experienced in attempting to separate the 

 deer to be sold from the rest of the herd. Finally it was deemed 

 advisable to drive the entire herd to Teller where there were better 

 facilities for dividing it. The trip was made in safety and the deer 

 delivered in good condition. 



Gamhell (St. Lawrence Island) . — The winter was an unusually mild 

 one and the herd did well until the spring, which the Laps report 

 was a hard one for fawning. The grazing ground of the herd has 

 been changed owing to the fact that they have been feeding too long 

 on the same range, and also on account of the increase in the size of 

 the herd. The new range is about 35 miles from the station in the 

 center of a fine moss pasture entirely unused. ^Several deer have 

 been damaged during the year by loose dogs. However, in each 

 case the owners of the dogs were compelled to make restitution. 

 Mr. Thomas Richards proved himself to be a most able assistant to 

 Doctor Campbell at this difficult and dangerous station. 



Teller. — The mission obtained the contract to carry the mail from 

 Teller to Marys Igloo and from Teller to Cape Prince of Wales. The 

 round trip to each place is about 140 miles. Serawlook, an appren- 

 tice, made 14 trips to Marys Igloo and 10 to the Cape, covering about 

 3,300 miles from November 1 to June 1 with reindeer. The majority 

 of white people in the neighborhood ridiculed the idea that reindeer 

 could bring the mail through on time and compete with dogs. It 

 was also considered very unwise by them that a native should drive 

 the mail. However, results were a surprise even to those who 

 believed in the deer. Serawlook always made good time and on 

 many trips exceeded the best time made by crack dog teams under 

 most favorable conditions. One round trip was made in twenty- 

 seven hours, three hours faster than the best dog teams had ever 

 made it. 



Golofnin. — Mr. Anderson reports that the year has been a xerj 

 successful one. The number of deaths in the herd from disease or 

 accident has been very small. Several were sold for the meat mar- 

 kets at Nome and Council City. A contract for freighting goods 

 was successfully filled, which is expected to open a new field of use- 

 fulness for the deer in the future. The most trouble met with at 

 Golofnin has been due to the carelessness of miners who leave their 

 camps without taking sufficient caution to completely extinguish 

 their fires. The moss on which the reindeer feeds, being dry as 

 tinder, burns very rapidly, and unless the fire is checked at once 

 considerable pasturage may be destroyed. 



Eaton (Unalakleet post-office). — During the year a permanent 

 division of the herd was effected, Messrs. Bals, sr., and Ole O. Bahr 



