and the Maritime Provinces. 209 



herd are more successful than is generally supposed. In the rutting season 

 however, the bull caribou has the courage of his convictions and, unless he 

 is taken unawares, is more than a match for a bear. 



The open season for caribou in this Province, as well as for moose and 

 deer, extends from September 1st to January 1st. Without doubt the most 

 favorable period of the year for a caribou hunt, pure and simple, is in 

 November when the barrens are frozen so as to admit of easy travel and 

 when there is usually sufficient snow for tracking. These conditions are 

 equally present in December, it is true, with the added advantage of good 

 snow-shoeing, but by the end of the first week of that month a large pro- 

 portion of the animals, especially the oldest and largest bucks, have shed 

 those beautiful antlers, which, by the amateur stalker, at least, are so 

 eagerly desired as trophies of the chase. Still, there are many portions of 

 the Province, such as the headwaters of Salmon river, the Nepisiquit, the 

 Restigouche, and the various branches of the Miramichi, where the months 

 of September and October afford excellent sport. 



The horns of the male caribou are often very massive, sometimes con- 

 taining over thirty points and exhibiting great diversities of structure. It 

 is very seldom, indeed, that any two pair of horns are found that closely 

 resemble each other. The peculiar formation of the brow prongs, however, 

 renders it impossible to mistake the horns of a caribou for those of any 

 other member of the deer family. Many opinions prevail as to the pro- 

 portion of females bearing horns, but the consensus of belief is that not 

 more than one cow caribou in every ten is thus adorned. The horns of 

 the female are always far inferior to those of the male in size and beauty. 



A strange feature of caribou life which has been noted by many ob- 

 servers, but which has never been adequately explained, is that when the 

 animals are especially numerous in a certain district, the fecundity of the 

 females is sure to exhibit a marked decline. Perhaps not one cow in 

 every three will bring forth calves in the spring. It seems reasonable to 

 suppose that the food supply in a given area has a very important bearing 

 on this question. 



The construction of the caribou's hoof is peculiarly adapted to enable 

 him to travel in the deep snow. It is concave at the base, is as wide even 

 when contracted as that of an adult moose, and will spread laterally when 

 the animal is running on snow to a width of about ten inches. 



The prevailing color of the caribou when he has donned his autumn 

 coat is a dark fawn inclining to gray and fading to almost pure white on 

 the neck and under parts of the body. An educated eye is required to dis- 

 tinguish his form on the sombre gray of the barren, where all kinds of 

 vegetable life assimilate to him in color. Caribou differ greatly in general 

 appearance, some being almost as graceful as a deer while others resemble 

 an overgrown goat. They exhibit also a variety in facial expression bor- 



