EEINDEEE IN ALASKA. 9 



GROWTH OP HORNS. 



The growth of the horns is so rapid that at times the animals show 

 signs of some irritation or perhaps even of pain. It has been ob- 

 served that they are constantly touching them with the hind fetlocks, 

 but they do this very gently and with a sort of rubbing motion. 

 Evidently the horns at this stage are so tender that care is taken not 

 to injure them. Once the growth is complete and the velvet has 

 become avascular, the animal's attitude changes and the horns become 

 weapons of offense and defense. 



SHEDDING THE VELVET. 



As the bucks shed their horns the earlier, it is natural to expect 

 that they would peel off the velvet before the other sex. The earliest 

 signs of peeling noted were on July 31, but it was not until August 15 

 that the horns were becoming clean and polished; and even then, 

 in a good many cases, there were still strips of velvet hanging to 

 them. The horns are entirely clean and the rutting season has begun 

 by approximately August 25. Most of the does shed the velvet by 

 August 20, although strips of it may still be adhering to the horns 

 of many up to September 10 and even later. The fawns shed a little 

 later than the does. Properly castrated steers should have the velvet 

 intact at this time (PI. VI, Fig. 2). 



SHEDDING HAIR. 



The bucks are the first to shed the hair in spring, and by the mid- 

 dle of June most of them will be in good coat. Females, in some 

 districts at any rate, are a week or two later. Yearlings correspond 

 more to the does in time of shedding. It has been noticed that old 

 or diseased animals are slower in shedding than those that are 

 healthy, and ragged-coated does have been seen up to the first days 

 of August. As the hair is closely related to the horns histologically, 

 it will be seen that the shedding of hair links up closely with the 

 growth of the horns (PL VI, Fig. 3). 



ALASKAN AND NORWEGIAN REINDEER COMPARED. 



An importation of Norwegian reindeer into the United States in 

 March, 1922;, afforded opportunity of making a comparison between 

 them and the Alaskan species. The reindeer in the Norwegian ship- 

 ment compare very unfavorably with the ordinary run of reindeer 

 in Alaska, and, in comparison with the best Alaskan animals, so far 

 as concerns size and general appearance, they can be rated as very 

 inferior. Full-grown Alaskan reindeer measure 13 hands and over. 

 The largest Norwegian buck and doe measured only about an inch 

 over 10 hands. The largest Norwegian buck weighed 175 pounds 

 and the largest doe 148 pounds. 



