204 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



the American and European female Reindeer, and any doubt re- 

 maining must be removed. 



Let us now give a description and measurements of the pair of 

 female wild Reindeer antlers which I brought from Lapland. 

 (Fig. 6 on p. 203.) 



The right antler is eighteen inches and five lines long, with a 

 bx'ow-tine seven inches and three lines long, and two posterior 

 tines, the longest five inches and three lines in length. The 

 left antler is nineteen inches and four lines in length. The 

 brow-antler is six inches and seven lines in length, with a small 

 snag above it and then an anterior tine five and a half inches 

 long. There are four posterior tines or snags. There are no 

 palms on these antlers, though the tines are considerably flat- 

 tened, especially the brow tines, which descend over the face as 

 is invariably the case with the antlers of the Reindeer. These 

 we see are considerably larger than those from the American 

 variety, but this is accidental, for such is not usually the case. 



Ordinarily the antlers of the Caribou spring from the head in an 

 oblique direction, about forty-five degrees from the horizontal, or 

 ninety degrees from each other ; their direction is first backward 

 and outward for about half their length, and then forward, up- 

 ward, and inward, so that the terminal points are neai'er together 

 than the beams are at the angle of the curvature, and about as 

 far forward as the seats of the antlers ; many, however, depart 

 from these characteristics. Strangely variant as these antlers 

 often are fi'om each other, even when grown on the same head 

 and at the same time, yet they possess features never to be 

 mistaken by the careful observer, who will at once recognize the 

 Caribou's antler, no matter what its form. 



In another respect the antlers of the Caribou and also of the 

 European Reindeer are quite peculiar. They have by far the 

 least burr of any antlers grown upon any deer. Generally they 

 have what may be called a rudimental burr, and very few are 

 destitute of it, but on all it is very insignificant and on most it 

 is quite wanting on some part of the circumference. 



A glance at the illustrations will show, while the antlers of the 

 Woodland Caribou and the Barren-ground Caribou are formed 

 on the same general plan, they present differences generally suffi- 

 cient to identify the species on which they grew. 



The most striking difference between the two species is in their 

 relative size. The Woodland Caribou is twice as large as his more 

 northern relative, and the antlers of the latter are twice as large 



