S^ BtlLLlETm 1089, tr. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. if 



snow. Where held too near the coast during the winter season, eve 

 within the Arctic Circle, reindeer herds occasionally suffer considei 

 able losses through starvation when winter rains- fall on the snov' 

 In such cases the herd must be moved back to protected areas in th 

 interior hills, but heavy losses may occur before the animals ca:, 

 reach favorable ground. 



Under ordinary conditions, depth of snow on the winter rang 

 along the coast does not constitute a serious factor, since at least 

 part of the area is generally exposed to the winds and so does not be 

 come deeply covered. In the interior, however, particularly on tim 

 bered flats and bench land country, there is less drifting, and depth o 

 snow is then a matter to be considered in the selection of winte 

 range. 



The area selected for grazing should lend itself to the handling o 

 the herd throughout the year. It should comprise a natural grazing 

 unit, with the spring, summer, and fall, and the winter ranges com 

 bined. In a timbered country, reindeer are difficult to herd success 

 fully, and in the absence of fencing this is a factor to be considered. 



The value of the different kinds of range forage plants varie 

 greatly with the stage of growth, and probably to some extent witl 

 the tastes of the animals. As a rule, reindeer prefer green vegeta 

 tion and fresh growths and are fond of variety. They feed upon j 

 great number of range plants, but in winter graze especially upoi 

 mosses and in summer upon green vegetation (sedges, browse, grasses 

 and weeds). In spring they seek the earliest green vegetation, anc 

 feed on green growth throughout the summer. In fall and wintei 

 they feed on dry vegetation of various kinds and on lichens anc 

 mosses, but prefer the lichens known as "reindeer moss," which 

 having made new growth in fall, are fresher and probably mor( 

 palatable (PI. XI, Figs. 1 and 2). While the lichens represent princi- 

 pally winter forage, they are also taken to a certain extent during 

 the summer. 



FORAGE COVEK. 



The character of vegetation along the coast is very similar through- 

 out, the relative proportions of the various species and their density 

 varying, however, with exposure and other conditions. The cover 

 comprises a composite type of lichens, mosses, sedges, browse, weeds, 

 and grasses, most of the summer range (PI. XII, Fig. 1) containing 

 a predominance of sedge and species of browse, and that of the win- 

 ter a predominance of lichens and browse (PI. XII, Fig. 2). 



As a general rule, the percentage of lichens increases in the vegeta- 

 tive type with the distance from the coast except in valley and basin 

 areas. Very little timber occurs within the coastal areas — none at 

 all over the major portion of Seward Peninsula, practically none 



