THE RAIN-DEER. 335 



with fat. The rutting feafon of both is about 

 the end of September. The females of both fpe- 

 cies go eight months with young, and produce 

 but one fawn. Daring the rutting feafon, the 

 males have an equally difagreeable odour ; and 

 fome of the female rain-deer, as well as the 

 hinds, are barren f. The young rain-deer, like 

 the fawns of the Mag, are varioufly coloured, be- 

 ing firft red mixed with yellow, and afterwards 

 become of a blackifh brown colour J. The 

 youn"- follow their mothers two or three years ; 

 and they acquire not their full growth till the 

 end of the fourth year. It is at this age alfo that 

 they are trained to labour. At the age of one 

 year, they are caftrated in order to make them 

 tradable. The Laplanders perform this opera- 

 tion with their teeth. The uncaftrated males 

 are fierce, and very difficult to manage ; and, 

 therefore, are not ufed for labour. To draw 

 their fledges, the mod active and nimble geld- 

 ings are fele&ed, and the heavier! are employed 

 in carrying provifions and baggage. One un- 

 mutilated male is kept for every five or fix fe- 

 males. Like the dags, they are tormented with 

 worms in the bad feafon. About the end of 

 winter, fuch vaft numbers are engendered under 



their 



I Out of a hundred females, net above ten are barren, and, 

 on account of their fterility, are called raones. The Hefh of 

 thefe is very fat and fucculent in autumn ; Schefer, p. 204. 



X The colour of their hair is blacker than that of the ftag. 

 .... The wild rain-deer are always ftronger, larger, and 

 blacker than the domeftic kind i Regnard t torn, up, 10S. 



