4i6 



NATURE 



[August 22, 190 



Allhouv;li from llic poin' of view of Ixiclily slalurc 

 ihf inoDM' (iir flk, ;is it is loninioiily lallid in Rn^- 

 land) i-i unduubti'dly tlu- lincst animal in tliis part of 

 tin- world, the various races of caribou (or reindeer) 

 are raUulaled to attract (he interest of naturalists to 

 a spei iai dejjree on account of the incredible numbers 

 in which they occur, not only on the mainland, but 

 also in the almost untrodden heart of Newfoundland ; 

 while their periodical mij^rations in certain districts 

 .are amonj^ the most wonderful phenomena in bijf- 

 i;ame lile. Not the least marvellous feature in these 

 " treks " is the manner in which whole herds some- 

 times swim in company, so as to form in certain 

 cases, as described bv a recent traveller in Labrador, .1 



?1 



liiitisli Norlli A 



veritable living- bridfjje. In other cases, however, they 

 travel in small parties, or even in [)airs, lyini; down 

 to rest or pausing to feed as their inclinations 

 prompt. 



"On one occasion," writes the author, "herd 

 after herd <if caribou passed the end of the lake in 

 full view from where we were sitting. These herds 

 were all small, consisting of from three or four to ten 

 animals. Tliey were all following the same trail, and 

 were evidently migrating from the north-east to the 

 south-west. Although they kept stopping to feed thev 

 ■travelled fast, often trotting .ns if alarmed." 



With the assistance of various friends, the author 

 NO. T973. ^'OL. 76] 



h.is been ,Mble to ilhislr.ite his book with a number of 

 striking photographs of migrating c.iriboii, some 

 showing the jinimals as they traverse the scrub in well- 

 beaten tr.'icks, and others their appearance when 

 swimming lakes or rivers. As a permanent memento 

 of the latest trip, rel(>rence may ue made to the two 

 magnilicenl caribou shot by the'author .and presented 

 by hini to the Mritish Miiseum (Nat. Mist.), where 

 they are now set up in the mammal g.illerv, one of 

 these representing the l.irge dark-coloured A'(iii.i;i/cf 

 tdrtnidiis osboriii. and the other the smaller and whiter 

 A'. /. terrat'-itoviif. .Special interest, it m,iy be .added, 

 atl.uhes to the mention (p. 71) of the nianner in 

 which the spreading feet of the caribou en.able the 

 .inim.il to traverse botrgy ground, where 

 horse, ox, or ass would be helplessly mired. 

 Lack of space [jrevenls mention of a num- 

 ber of interesting points in this fascinating 

 book of adventure ,ind sport, but we must 

 refer to the author's measurement of his 

 finest bull moose (p. 215), the height of 

 which is given as 6 feet 1 1 inches. Re- 

 ference must also be made to an interesting 

 opinion in connection with wild sheep, 

 namil\, that the white Oris iliilli prob.ibly 

 gr.ides into the grev O. jaimini. and the 

 latter into the black' O. sUnici. The view 

 th.it these sheep arc but local races of the 

 K.imch.'itcan O. iiivicohi is supported ; the 

 true (). taiiaJciisis, like the true grizzly 

 bi-ir, h.iving depiirted further from the 

 northern type owing to its h.iving travelled 

 turther south, and perh.ips having entered 

 the country at an e.irlier date th.an the 

 others. 



The si'cond (like the third) work on our 

 list is entirely for the stay-al-honu' sports- 

 man, .uid is intended to emph.isise the im- 

 portance of much greater care being exer- 

 cised by game-preservers as to the culture 

 of covert suitable for different kinds of 

 game Hitherto the general practice has 

 been to let coverts grow more or less ;is 

 they will ; but the author, who has had 

 great practical experience of the subject, 

 shows th.it this is altogether wrong. Not 

 onh' is one kind of tree or bush specially 

 suited to p.irlicular species of game, but 

 care is neided in order that such trees or 

 bushes may have proper opportunities for 

 full development. A case in point is af- 

 forded by the blackberry bramble, which 

 needs open space and sun, when it affords 

 tiot only excellent covert, but also a valuable 

 food-supplv. In this connection it may be 

 mentioned that in Mr. .Simpson's opinion 

 gamekeepers err in over-feeding their 

 charges; which, to say nothing of eco- 

 noniic.il considerations, would be far better 

 in many ways if left to get lluir own living 

 in propirh pl.inted coveitv. ( lame-preserv- 

 according to the author, is likely to 

 more and more profitable to English 

 hmdlords; and speci.il .ilteiition is directed to the 

 economic value of rabbits on estates. The special 

 feature of the book, which should be in the libr;iry of 

 every landowner and L,^•lme-preserver, is the beauty 

 of the illustrations of different kinds of covert, when 

 properly developed; the most exi|uisite of all being the 

 [)hotograph of a mound i)f blackberry bramble in fruit. 

 .Sometimes we venture to think that authors do not 

 select sufliciently comprehensive titles, but in the case 

 of Mr. W. R. Hodgson's book, st.uiding third on our 

 list, the main title seems to err in the opposite direc- 



ation, 

 become 



