346 UNGULATA. 



The Reindeer is invaluable to the inhabitants of the Arc- 

 tic regions in Europe, Asia. and America. It was formerly 

 abundant in Scotland. In Norway there are still thou- 

 sands of domesticated reindeer on the farms, the males 

 being harnessed and used for sledding and draught pur- 

 poses and the females yielding an abundance of milk. The 

 domesticated breed, which is smaller than the wild race, 

 is also found in Siberia and Lapland. The flesh of the 

 Reindeer is excellent eating, the tongue and kidney being 

 considered great delicacies. 



The Old World Reindeer (Rangifer-tarandus), stands 

 from three to four feet high, and is buff or brown in color, 

 lighter on the belly and head than the back; in Labrador 

 it is almost white, and pure white specimens are met with 

 in Lapland. Mottled animals are sometimes seen in Rus- 

 sia. The hair is abundant, bristly and brittle, affording an 

 excellent protection from the arctic cold, and its broad 

 feet enable it to walk with ease on the snow. The antlers 

 are peculiar and vary in formation, no two pair being alike, 

 but they always curve forward, and usually consist of two 

 branches radiating into many points. The majority of the 

 males have a brow antler, which is a triangular piece of 

 bone shaped like a spatula and hanging over the nose, and 

 it is claimed that they use this antler to scrape the snow 

 away from the moss on which they feed. The females have 

 antlers as well as the males. 



The hair of the Reindeer is* said to have floating qualities 

 superior to cork, and life belts and buoys are sometimes 

 made of- it. The Eskimos make coats and sleeping bags, 

 which are both light and impervious to the cold, from the 

 skins, but in Europe they are generally used for leather. 



In Russia, the skins of the younger animals are made 

 into linings, called Pijiky, which are light, warm and 

 durable. 



