DEER KIND. 349 



ral stands so thick over the whole body, that if 

 one should attempt to separate it, the skin will 

 no where appear uncovered: whenever it falls 

 also, it is not seen to drop from the root, as in 

 other quadrupeds, but seems broken short near 

 the bottom ; so that the lower part of the hair is 

 seen growing, while the upper falls away. 



The horns of the female are made like those 

 of the male, except that they are smaller and 

 less branching. As in the rest of the deer kind, 

 they sprout from the points ; and also in the be- 

 ginning are furnished with a hairy crust, which 

 supports the blood-vessels, of most exquisite sen- 

 sibility. The rein-deer shed their horns after 

 rutting-time, at the latter end of November; 

 and they are not completely furnished again till 

 towards autumn. The female always retains hers 

 till she brings forth, and then sheds them about 

 the beginning of November. If she be barren, 

 however, which is not unfrequently the case, she 

 does not shed them till winter. The castration 

 of the rein-deer does not prevent the shedding of 

 their horns : those which are the strongest cast 

 them early in winter; those which are more 

 weakly not so soon. Thus, from all these cir- 

 cumstances, we see how greatly this animal dif- 

 fers from the common stag. The female of the 

 rein-deer has horns, which the hind is never seen 

 to have ; the rein-deer, when castrated, renews its 

 horns, which we are assured the stag never does : 

 it differs not less in its habits and manner of liv- 

 ing, being tame, submissive, and patient, while the 

 stag is wild, capricious, and unmanageable. 



