3S& THE ELK AND 



fame with the Greenland fallow-deer of Mr Ed- 

 wards. 



Some travellers tell us, that the rain-deer is 

 the fallow-deer of the North ; that, in Green- 

 land, it is wild ; and that the largeft of them 

 exceed not the fize of a two year old heifer *• 



Pontoppidan allures us, that the rain-deer pe- 

 ri (h in every part of the world, except the nor- 

 thern regions, where they are even obliged to- 

 inhabit the mountains. He is lefs to be credi- 

 ted when he lells.us, that their horns are move- 

 able y that the animal can turn them either for- 

 ward or backward j and that, above the eye-lids, 

 there is a -final! aperture in the {kin, through 

 which he fees, when the fnow prevents him 

 from opening his eyes. This laft fadt appears 

 to be imaginary, and borrowed from a prac- 

 tice of the Laplanders, who covci their eyes 

 with a piece of fplit wood, to avoid the great 

 fplendour of the fnow, which renders them blind 

 in a few years, if this precaution is negledted f. 



It is remarkable, that thefe animals, in all their 

 movements, make a crackling noife : Indepen- 

 dent of running, even when furprifed or touch- 

 ed, this noife is heard. I have been afTured that 

 the fame thing happens to the elk ; but I can- 

 not afcertain the truth of this aiTertion. 



ObJervatio7it 



* H'ifl. gen. des voyages, torn. 19. p. 37. 

 Pontoppidaa*s Nat. Hill, of Norway. 



