DEER KIND. 359 



five years longer. They never live above fifteen 

 or sixteen years ; and when they arrive at the 

 proper age, the Laplander generally kills them 

 for the sake of their skins and their flesh. This 

 he performs by striking them on the back of the 

 neck with his knife into the spinal marrow, upon 

 which they instantly fall, and he then cuts the 

 arteries that lead to the heart, and lets the blood 

 discharge itself into the cavity of the breast. 



There is scarcely any part of this animal that is 

 not converted to its peculiar uses. As soon as it 

 begins to grow old, and some time before the rut, 

 it is killed, and the flesh dried in the air. It is 

 also sometimes hardened with smoke, and laid up 

 for travelling provision, when the natives migrate 

 from one part of the country to another. During 

 the winter the rein-deer are slaughtered as sheep 

 with us ; and every four persons in the family are 

 allowed one rein-deer for their week's subsistence. 

 In spring they spare the herd as much as they 

 can, and live upon fresh fish ; in summer the 

 milk and curd of the rein-deer makes their chief 

 provision ; and in autumn they live wholly upon 

 fowls, which they kill with a cross-bow, or catch 

 in springes. Nor is this so scanty an allowance, 

 since at that time the sea-fowls come in such 

 abundance that their ponds and springs are co- 

 vered over. These are not so shy as with us, but 

 yield themselves an easy prey. They are chiefly 

 allured to those places by the swarms of gnats 

 which infest the country during summer, and 

 now repay the former inconveniencies, by invit- 

 ing such numbers of birds as supply the natives 



