THE FIRST WOODS 255 



scars of 121 bots. I could not see that they affected 

 the skin or hair in the least. 



Although all of these Caribou seem to have the nor- 

 mal foot-click, Preble and I worked in vain with the feet 

 of this dead one to make the sound; we could not by any 

 combination of movement, or weight or simulation of 

 natural conditions, produce anything like a "click." 



That same day, as we sat on a hill, a cow Caribou 

 came curiously toward us. At 100 yards she circled 

 slowly, gazing till she got the wind 150 yards to one 

 side, then up went her tail and off she trotted a quarter 

 of a mile, but again drew nearer, then circled as before 

 till a second time the wind warned her to flee. This 

 she did three or four times before trotting away; the 

 habit is often seen. 



Next afternoon, Billy and I saw a very large buck ; 

 his neck was much swollen, his beard flowing and nearly 

 white. He sighted us afar, and worked north-west 

 away from us, in no great alarm. I got out of sight, 

 ran a mile and a half, headed him off, then came on 

 him from the north, but in spite of all I could do by 

 running and yelling, he and his band (3 cows with 3 

 calves) rushed galloping between me and the lake, 75 

 yards away, lie was too foxy to be driven back into 

 that suspicious neighbourhood. 



Thus we had fine opportunities for studying wild life. 

 In all these days there was only one unfulfilled desire: 

 I had not seen the great herd of Caribou returning to 

 the woods that are their winter range. 



This herd is said to rival in numbers the Buffalo 

 herds of story, to reach farther than the eye can see, 



