372 UNGULATES. 



American form, known as the barren-ground caribou, as a distinct species, while 

 he identifies the larger southern kind termed the woodland caribou with R. 

 tarandus, other writers, like Dr. Hart Merriam, consider that both the American 

 forms are entitled to rank as distinct species. We shall, however, follow the view 

 that all kinds of reindeer are merely local varieties or races of a single widely 

 spread species. 



In the Old World reindeer are found nearly as far north as the extreme limits 

 of land, while they extend from Scandinavia in the west to Eastern Siberia. In 

 the Ural region their southern limit reaches in the Kirghiz steppes to about the 

 52nd parallel of north latitude, and they are still to be met with in the wild state, 

 in the neighbourhood of Orenburg. In European Russia they are found in the 

 forests of the Government of Kazan as far south as latitude 54 ; and it is stated that 

 in this district they attain very large dimensions, while the females are without 

 antlers. In Scandinavia wild reindeer are, however, now becoming rare. Domes- 

 ticated reindeer are kept in Siberia, Lapland, and part of Norway, as well as in the 

 northern districts of the Government of Perm, but appear to be unknown in the 

 Orenburg region. They were introduced into Iceland in 1870, where they flourish 

 well, and in 1892 sixteen head were landed in Alaska. The Scandinavian domes- 

 ticated breed, which is chiefly used by the Laps for purposes of draught, is consid- 

 erably smaller than the wild race ; but in Siberia there is a tamed breed of larger 

 size, mainly used for riding. The importance of the reindeer to the Laplander 

 has been so often written of that we may be excused for making any further 

 mention of it. 



In regard to the northern extension of the Old World reindeer, Baron 

 Nordenskiold observes that although it has not been found in Francis Joseph Land, 

 it occurs at Cape Chelyuskin, as well as in Novaia Zemlia and Spitzbergen, and in 

 the still more northerly Phipps and Parry Islands, which lie between the 80th and 

 81st parallels of north latitude. In some of these desolate regions reindeer are 

 still very numerous, even where, as in Spitzbergen, they are incessantly hunted. 

 Regarding their abundance in the islands last-named, Baron Nordenskiold says 

 that it has been suggested that they immigrate from Novaia Zemlia ; but he 

 considers it more probable that if such an immigration does take place, it must be 

 from some unknown Arctic land to the north-north-east. 



The same writer observes that " the life of the wild reindeer is best known in 

 Spitzbergen. During the summer it betakes itself to the grassy plains in the ice-free 

 valleys of the island; in late autumn it withdraws according to the walrus- 

 hunter's statements to the sea-coast, in order to eat the seaweed that is thrown up 

 on the beach. In winter it goes back to the lichen-clad mountain heights in the 

 interior of the country, where it appears to thrive exceedingly well, though the 

 cold during winter must be excessively severe ; for when the reindeer in spring 

 return to the coast they are still very fat, but some weeks afterwards, when the 

 snow has frozen on the surface, and a crust of ice makes it difficult for them to get 

 at the mountain-sides, they become so poor as to be scarcely eatable. In summer, 

 however, they speedily eat themselves back into condition, and in autumn they are 

 so fat that they would certainly take prizes at an exhibition of fat cattle." 



Further observations on the mode of life of the reindeer will be deferred till we 



