REHsTDEER IN ALASKA. 13 



at irregular periods to kill his animals, by shooting on the open 

 range. Under this method the herds are constantly being disturbed, 

 and through the mistakes which often occur friction is caused among 

 the owners. Furthermore, when the carcasses are dressed on the open 

 range the work is usually badly done. As the native animals are 

 under supervision, it should be an easy matter to have all killing done 

 cooperatively, and in autunm, when the deer are fattest. Satisfactory 

 cold-storage rooms could be made in the underground ice at many of 

 the villages. If all killing were done when the animals are at their 

 prime, and the carcasses were packed into these rooms after being 

 solidly frozen with the hair on, they not only would keep satisfac- 

 torily for long periods, but the objectionable features of irregular 

 killing would be eliminated. 



Methods of hilling. — Eeindeer may be either shot or pithed, either 

 method being satisfactor3^ In cattle, pithing has been the subject 

 of much controversy, many people believing that as the brain is un- 

 injured when the animal falls, it still has consciousness and feels 

 pain. In reindeer these objections do not obtain, as in one single 

 thrust with the knife held obliquely the spinal cord at the base of 

 the brain and the brain itself may be penetrated. Consequently, 

 when the animal falls it makes no further movement and registers 

 no feeling of pain. 



The method of killing employed by the Lapps in Alaska is to drive 

 a knife through the brisket and into the heart, and bleeding takes 

 place into the chest cavity. This is done to save the blood, which is 

 T^sed for human food or given to dogs. It is not considered good 

 practice, however, since the bleeding is not so free and complete 

 as when the throat is cut; furthermore, the animal is not stunned 

 before the knife is driven in, and consequently the method is inhu- 

 mane. There is no question that cutting the throat to bleed the ani- 

 mal after it has been properly stunned or pithed is by far the better 

 imethod. 



Skinning and dressing carcasses. — In preparing reindeer carcasses 

 the skins are removed as are those of cattle. The skinning is even 

 e^asier than in the case of cattle, since the hide can be loosened almost 

 entirely with the fist, very little knife work being necessary. When 

 only a few animals are being dressed at one time on the open range, 

 it is convenient to have a tripod with block and tackle suspended un- 

 derneath for hoisting the carcasses. The herd may be driven close 

 up and a sled used to drag the carcasses to the tripod. 



The greatest care should be exercised to keep the carcasses clean 

 (PI. VIII, Fig. 1) . The worst trouble in connection with the Alaskan 

 meat trade undoubtedly arises from spoilage on account of the vari- 

 ous molds growing on the meat, and these can be kept out to a large 



