IN TIMBER AND BRtLfiE. 215 



the initiated eye a peculiar charm in observing and com- 

 paring the modifications of horn growth peculiar to different 

 localities. The caribou of the Eastern mainland is a large 

 greyish-brown animal, and while it cannot though larger 

 in body rival its Newfoundland cousin in grace and the 

 number of points it carries on its antlers, it yet seems to 

 present a strong individuality of type. One of the heads 

 which I then saw appeared to me very characteristic. 

 The horns, set close together the spread being only twenty- 

 five inches were yet exceedingly massive, and, growing 

 as they did almost straight upwards, without much back- 

 ward curve, presented a most striking appearance. This, 

 added to the reflection which inevitably occurs to all 

 hunters, that doubtless there are finer heads in the woods 

 than are usually brought out of them, made me eager to 

 gain a first-hand experience of the large grey deer. 



Edward Atkins, the Maine hunter and moose-caller who 

 accompanied me, had at that time never seen a warrantable 

 caribou stag, and his one desire seemed to be to lose the 

 least possible time in doing so. The upshot was that, five 

 days after our visit to the taxidermist, we had left a good 

 many miles of road, lake and forest-path behind us, and 

 were camped in the neighbourhood of Lac des Neiges. 



Part of our journey had been made in company with a 

 buck-board, while we walked ahead between the living walls 

 of bush which formed the border-line of our hunting-ground, 

 and where, here and there at long intervals, a soft dell 

 might show us the track of deer that had ventured into 

 the outer marches. In this connection a disastrous experi- 

 ence fell in the same year to the lot of a friend who, after 

 spending ten blank days in the woods without sight of 

 game, was driving out along the road when he came sud- 

 denly within shot of a band of caribou, including five stags 

 this when the rifles were put away and the cartridges 

 reposing in the packs ! One of the men, however, had a 



