Woodland Caribou 
‘It was all new and curious; this meeting of their kind; fox 
till now they had lived in dense solitude, each one knowing 
no living creature save its own mother. 
‘*Some were timid and backed away as far as possible into 
the shadow, looking with wild, wide eyes from one _ to 
another of the little caribou, and bolting to their mother’s side at 
every unusual movement. Others were bold and took to butting 
at the first encounter. ... 
‘* As | watched them the mothers all came out from the shadows 
and began trotting round the opening, the little ones keeping 
close as possible, each one to its mother’s side. 
‘‘Then the old ones went faster; the calves were left in along line 
stringing out behind. 
‘* Suddenly the leader veered into the edge of the timber and went 
over a fallen tree with a jump; the cows followed splendidly, rising 
on one side and falling gracefully on the other, like gray waves 
racing past the end of a jetty. 
‘‘But the first little one dropped his head obstinately at the 
tree and stopped short. The next one did the same thing; only 
he ran his head into the first one’s legs and knocked them out from 
under him. The others whirled with a ba-a-a-a-ah, and scampered 
round the tree and up to their mothers, who had turned now 
and stood watching anxiously to see the effect of their lesson. 
‘‘Then it began over again. It was true kindergarten teaching; 
for under guise of a frolic the calves were taught a needful lesson— 
not only to jump, but far more important than that, to follow 
their leader, and to go where he goes without question or hesitation. 
‘‘For the leaders on the barrens are wise old bulls that make 
no mistakes. 
‘*Most of the little caribou took to the sport very well, and 
presently followed their mothers over the low hurdles. But a 
few were timid, and then came the most interesting bit of the 
whole strange school, when a little one would be led to a tree 
and butted from behind till he took the jump. 
‘There was no ‘consent of the governed’ in the governing. 
The mothers knew, and the calf didn’t, just what was good for him.” 
The caribou is such a restless wandering fellow that it is 
little use to attempt hunting him by following his trail; you 
may succeed in getting a shot at him in this manner, but the 
chances are that he will see you first, or at all events become 
5° 
