348 ANIMALS OF THE 



larger in proportion, and branching forward over 

 its eyes; its ears are much larger; its pace is 

 rather a trot than a bounding, and this it can 

 continue for a whole day ; its hoofs are cloven 

 and moveable, so that it spreads them abroad as 

 it goes, to prevent its sinking in the snow. 

 When it proceeds on a journey, it lays its great 

 horns on its back, while there are two branches 

 which always hang over its forehead, and almost 

 cover its face. One thing seems peculiar to 

 this animal and the elk, which is, that as they 

 move along, their hoofs are heard to crack with 

 a pretty loud noise. This arises from their man- 

 ner of treading; for as they rest upon their 

 cloven hoof, it spreads on the ground, and the 

 two divisions separate from each other ; but 

 when they lift it, the divisions close again, and 

 strike against each other with a crack. The fe- 

 male also of the rein-deer has horns as well as the 

 male, by which the species is distinguished from 

 all other animals of the deer kind whatsoever. 



When the rein-deer first shed their coat of 

 hair, they are brown ; but in proportion as sum- 

 mer approaches, their hair begins to grow whit- 

 ish, until at last they are nearly grey.* They 

 are, however, always black about the eyes. The 

 neck has long hair, hanging down, and coarser 

 than upon any other part of the body. The 

 feet, just at the insertion of the hoof, are sur- 

 rounded with a ring of white. The hair in gene- 



* For the greatest part of this description of the rein-deer, I am obliged 

 to M. HofTbcrg; upon whose authority, being a native of Sweden, and an 

 experienced naturalist, we may confidently rely. 



