LINN^US. 211 



and a dog. The head is of a grayish colour, black 

 about the eyes ; the mouth whitish ; the tail short 

 and white; the feet encompassed with the same 

 colour above the hoofs. The whole body is gray, 

 darker when the new pile comes on, and lighter 

 before it falls. The hair, like that of some other 

 species of deer, is brittle and easily broken. The 

 horns of the female are upright, or slightly bent 

 backward, furnished with one or two branches in 

 front near the base, the summit sometimes undi- 

 vided, sometimes cleft. Those of the male are often 

 two feet and a half long, and their points are as 

 far distant from each other. They are variously 

 branched. These animals cast their horns every 

 year ; the males about the end of November, the 

 females in May ; at first they are hairy, but the 

 pile disappears before Michaelmas. 



As the reindeer walks, a crackling noise proceeds 

 from its feet, which is produced by the hooflets strik- 

 ing against each other. When these animals are 

 driven to the place where they are accustomed to 

 be milked, they all lie down, panting violently, and 

 chewing the cud all the while. One of the attend- 

 ants takes a small rope, and, making a noose, throws 

 it over their heads in succession. The cord is then 

 twisted round the horns, and the other end fastened 

 to a stick thrust into the ground. If the milk does 

 not come readily the udder is beaten sharply with 

 the hand. The nipples are four, very rarely six, and 

 all yield the fluid. After the process was finished, 

 he observed the maid-servant taking up some of the 

 dung, which she kneaded with her hands and put in- 

 to a vessel. This was for the purpose of smearing the 

 teats, to prevent the fawns from sucking too much. 



