The Caribou 275 



ber, 1 when the return journey to the wooded 

 country in the south is commenced, and their 

 winter quarters are reached in October. The 

 bulls go deep into the forests, but the females 

 remain near its edges, and leave before the bulls 

 on the spring journey, very early in the year, to 

 give birth to their young near the sea. During 

 the summer the Barren-Ground caribou assemble 

 in enormous herds, sometimes of many thousands, 

 and it has taken more than one day for such a 

 herd to pass any particular place. In certain 

 portions of the Barren Grounds they resort to the 

 vicinity of lakes and feed on tender grasses and 

 various lichens. They are stupid creatures, easily 

 demoralized, and when panic-stricken run aim- 

 lessly about, while the hunter in their midst is 

 busy slaying them. Four and five hundred have 

 been killed at one time by a band of Indians, so 

 easily are they rendered helpless by fear. In their 

 migrations these caribou do not always follow the 

 same route yearly, but vary it to the east or west 

 as fancy or stress of circumstances may cause 

 them to change; and because the animals were 

 plenty in certain places one year, is no reason to 

 expect them to be there the next, for it frequently 

 "happens that where thousands passed during one 



1 The bulls do not go down to the water, but meet the cows on their 

 return from the coast, and, so far as my observation goes, the herds stay 

 for the greater part somewhat back from the actual coast. EDITOR. 



