. CHAPTER V. 



THE AMERICAN EEINDEEE. 



THE CARIBOO. 



(Rangifer, Hamilton Smith ; Rangifer Caribou, Audu"bon and Bachman.) 



Muzzle entirely covered with hair ; the tear bag small, covered with a 

 pencil of hairs. The fur is brittle ; in summer, short ; in winter 

 longer, whiter ; of the throat longer. The hoofs are broad, depressed, 

 and bent in at the tip. The external metatarsal gland is above the 

 middle of the leg. Horns, in both sexes, elongate, subcylindric, with 

 the basal branches and tip dilated and palmated ; of the females 

 smaller. Skull with raftier large nose cavity ; about half as long as 

 the distance to the first grinder ; the intermaxillary moderate, nearly 

 reaching to the nasal ; a small, very shallow, suborbital pit. 



• 



The above diagnosis, taken from Dr. Gray's article on 

 the Euminantia in the Knowsley menagerie, seems to 

 embrace the chief characteristics of the reindeer of the 

 sub-arctic regions. The colour, habits, &c., of the variety 

 designated above will be found succeeding the following 

 general considerations. As a species subject to but slight 

 local variation (with one possible exception in the case 

 of the barren ground cariboo) the reindeer, Cervus 

 tarandus of Linnaeus, rangifer of Hamilton Smith, in- 

 habits both the old and the new worlds under similar 

 circumstances of climate and natural productions. Its 

 range across the Northern continents of Asia, Europe and 

 America is almost unbroken ; whilst in the North 



