IN TIMBER AND BRtTLfiE. 231 



is undoubtedly to the initiated eye a peculiar charm in 

 observing and comparing 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 backward 

 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 experience fell in the same year 



