690 



THE REINDEER. 



its mane in a manner that convinced us of the futility of all attempts to save it alive. 

 We threw to it the skin of a deer, which it tore to pieces in a moment. This individual 

 was a yearling, and about six feet high." 



By careful attention, however, and good training, the Elk can be used as a beast of 

 carriage or burden, and from its great size and power is extremely valuable in that 

 capacity. 



Two varieties of the REINDEER inhabit the earth ; the one, called the Reindeer, being 

 placed upon the northern portions of Europe and Asia, and the other, termed the Caribou, 

 being restricted to North America. We will first describe the European variety. 



REINDEER. Tarandus Ranglfer. 



This animal is very variabk in dimensions, specimens of very different height being 

 in the British Museum. The color is also variable, according to the season of year. 

 In winter the fur is long, and of a grayish-brown tint, with the exception of the neck, 

 hinder quarters, abdomen, and end of nose, which are white. In the summer, the gray- 

 brown hair darkens into a sooty brown, and the white portions become gray. 



In its wild state the Reindeer is a migratory animal, making annual journeys from the 

 woods to the hills, and back again, according to the season. Their chief object in leaving 

 the forests in the summer months appears to be their hope of escaping the continual 

 attacks of mosquitoes and other insect pests that are found in such profusion about forest 

 land. The principal plague of the Reindeer is one of the gad-flies, peculiar to the species, 

 which deposits its eggs in the animal's hide, and subjects it to great pain and continual 

 harassment. Even in the domesticated state the Reindeer is obliged to continue its 

 migrations, so that the owners of the tame herds are perforce obliged to become partakers 

 in the annual pilgrimages, and to accompany their charge to the appropriate localities. 



