HABITS OF THE CARIBOU. 209 



and place it near the junction of the " leads." When 

 the herd comes along, the leader soon discovers the 

 flag and gives the alarm, they all line themselves up, 

 take a good look at the mysterious fluttering object, 

 and take the road which leads to danger. 



Their senses of smell and hearing are very acute, 

 but their vision seems defective in distinguishing ob- 

 jects. If a man in a dead-grass colored suit stands 

 perfectly still in the open marsh, they will walk 

 close up to him before (apparently) they are able to 

 distinguish him from a stump or some other object. 

 While they invariably prefer to travel over the open 

 marsh or barrens, when wounded they immediately 

 run for cover; and once within a Newfoundland 

 thicket, the chances are nine in ten they cannot be 

 found. 



They are very tenacious of life, and the missile 

 must strike either in or close to the spine or heart, or 

 through both shoulders, as otherwise they are likely 

 to get away. The calf whose head is shown on cover 

 ran three hundred yards after receiving a 40-65 ball 

 through the body just back of the heart. 



Here we must leave the caribou to the further ac- 

 quaintance of those whose fancy leads them in pur- 

 suit of the nobler game of our continent. The heads, 

 of the principal specimens mentioned in our record 



