238 ON SNOW-SHOES TO THE BARREN GROUNDS 



chisel -shaped hoofs touch the ground in walking and 



running. 



There seems to be a wide difference of opinion concern- 

 ing these two animals held by those who have written on 



the subject, and many of 

 them, so far as my obser- 

 vations go, are at fault. 

 Some naturalists claim 

 the antlers of the Barren 

 Ground caribou are heav- 

 ier than those of the wood- 

 land, but my assertion is 

 to the contrary, and I am 

 borne out by Mr. Warbur- 

 ton Pike and Mr. Henry 

 Toke Munn, both of whom 

 are experienced hunters, 

 and spent some time in 

 the Northland. 

 About the beginning of March the female Barren Ground 

 caribou in small herds begin to work their way out into 

 the Barren Grounds, reaching the arctic coast about the 

 last of June, where they drop their young. The bulls re- 

 main in the woods until the latter part of April, when they 

 too work out into the Barrens, and meet the returning 

 cows about half-way, some time along the first of August. 

 They remain together during September and October, the 

 rutting season, when they again separate and move tow- 

 ards the timber. It is stated by some authorities that the 

 females remain in the Barren Grounds the entire year. 

 This is not true. They do stay out longer than the males, 

 but as winter sets in they seek the shelter of the woods. 

 The antlers are clear of their velvet by the first of Octo- 

 ber, and the bulls shed them in December, while the cows 



CAKIROU HOOF, SHOWING POSITION OF 

 ACCESSORY HOOF 



