3J2 THE ELK AND 



I received from Canada the head of a female 

 orignal which was more advanced in years. Its 

 length, from the end of the muzzle to the ears, 

 is two feet three inches. Its circumference at 

 the ears is two feet eight inches, and, near the 

 mouth, one foot ten inches. The ears are nine 

 inches long. But, as this head is dried, thefe 

 dimenfions muft be fmaller than when the ani- 

 mal was alive. 



M. de BufFon is likewife of opinion, that the 

 caribou of America is the rain-deer of Lapland ; 

 and the reafons with which he fupports this idea 

 have much weight. I have given a figure of 

 the rain-deer, which is wanting in the Paris edi- 

 tion. It is a copy of that which was publiihed 

 by Ridinger, a famous painter and engraver, 

 who dvew it from the life. I have likewife been 

 obliged to the Duke of Richmond for a drawing 

 of the American caribou. This animal was 

 fent to him from Canada, and it lived a long 

 time in his park. His horns were only be- 

 ginning to fhoot when the figure was drawn ; 

 and it is the only true reprefentation we have of 

 the animal. By comparing it with the rain- 

 deer, there appears, at fir ft light, to be a very 

 confiderable difference between the two figures ; 

 but the w T ant of horns in the caribou greatly 

 changes its afped. 



Addition 



