THE RAIN-DEER. 339 



horns of the rain-deer are not only fubject to 

 variation from age, like others of the deer-kind, 

 but from fex and caftration. Thefe differences 

 are To great, in the horns of different individuals, 

 that it is not furpriilng to fee the defcriptions 

 given of them by authors fo exceedingly different. 

 Another Angularity, which is common to the 

 rain-deer and the elk, muft net be omitted. 

 When thefe animals run, though not at full 

 fpeed, their hoofs *, at each movement, make 

 a crackling noife, a3 if all their limbs were dis- 

 jointed. The wolves, advertifed by this noife, 

 or by the odour of the animal, throw themfelves 

 in his way, and, if numerous, they feize and 

 kill him ; for a rain-deer defends himfelf againft 

 the attacks of a iingle wolf. For this purpofe 

 he employs not his horns, which are more hurt- 

 ful than ufeful to him, but his fore-feet, which 

 are very ftrong. With thefe he itrikes the wolf 



Y 2 fu 



* R.angiferum cuiex pipiens, oeftrus taraadij can-anus la.ia.ti -. 

 ad Alpes cogunt, crepitantibus ungulis; Linn.fjifi. fiat. p. 93. 



• The feet of the rain-deer are lhorter and much' broad j.r 



than thofe of the flag, and referable the feet of the buiFaic;.. 

 The hoofs are cloven and almoft round, like thofe of the ox„ 

 Whether he runs or gyes flowly, the joints of his limbs make 

 a great noife, like flints falling on each other, or like the 

 breaking of nuts. This noife is heard as far as the animal 

 can be £ttn ; Schefftr, p. 202. Fragor ac flrepitus pe- 

 dum ungularumque tantus eft in celeri progrelfu, ac fi filices 

 vel nuces collidanturj qualem ftrepitum articulorum etiara 



in alee obfervavi. It is remarkable in the rain-deer, 



that all his bones, and particularly thefe of his feet, make 

 a crackling noife, which is fo loud as to be heard as far as 

 the animal can be feen ; RegnarJ, torn, i.p, 108. 



