246 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



inches and three lines broad, and four inches around the outer 

 edge. The accessory hoof on the fore foot is one inch and eleven 

 lines long, and one inch and five lines broad. The edges are less 

 worn or sharper on the fore feet than on the hind feet. It is 

 evident that the hind feet are prepared for, and endure much the 

 hardest service. On the fore feet the lower phalangeal bone, to 

 which the accessory hoof is attached, is half an inch long above 

 the hoof, the next, or upper phalangeal bone between the articu- 

 lations, is ten lines long and six lines in diameter, and the splint, 

 or accessory carpal bone, above the articulation, is three inches 

 long and half an inch in diameter at the lower end, tapering to a 

 blunt point at the upper end. This accessory carpal bone, which 

 possesses an imperfect facet of articulation, is attached longitu- 

 dinally to the carpal bone for its whole length by ligamentary 

 tissue which admits of great vertical and lateral motion, thus 

 facilitating the great spread of these members of the foot ob- 

 served in the reindeer. All the bones connected with this ac- 

 cessory hoof in the reindeer, are more than ten times as large as 

 they are in the common deer. This alone should convince us 

 that real work is expected to be performed by this accessory hoof 

 of the Caribou. These bones are appreciably larger and stouter 

 in the hind foot than in the fore foot. 



That we may compare the foot of the Barren-ground Caribou 

 with that of the Woodland Caribou, I give the measurements of 

 a fore foot of this last species in my collection. It is two inches 

 and six lines long at the cleft, and is two inches and six lines 

 broad ; measuring around the curved edge, it is four inches and 

 nine lines. 



When we remember that the Barren-ground is but half the 

 size of his Woodland cousin, it will be observed that its foot is 

 much the largest proportionally, and that the outer edge is much 

 more convex, that is, it maintains its width towards the point 

 much better, thus presenting more bearing surface in proportion; 

 to its length and greatest width. This peculiarity is very strik- j 

 ing to the eye when they are viewed side by side. On the 

 smaller animal the accessory hoof is, in fact, larger than on the \ 

 other. On the specimen before me from the larger species, i 

 the accessory hoof is one inch and nine lines long, and one inch 

 and six lines broad. This much greater bearing surface of the 

 foot, it being about twice as large in proportion to the size of the 

 animal, would seem to be required by the more northern and 

 snowy region occupied by the deer. The hoofs of the hind foot : 



