MORROW — NOTES ON THE CARIBOU. 291 



skeleton ;" and a little further on he says that in the feet of a rein- 

 deer, sent him in 1777, he did not find the tube in the hind 

 foot, but one very apparent in the fore foot ; and in another, sent 

 him in 1178, the tubes were in the hind feet, but none in the fore 

 feet, " so that 1 am not able to determine anything very exactly on 

 this subject." 



In the skin of one of the hind legs of the old buck, just above 

 the coronet, you will see the tube, the bones having been removed 

 for the purpose. The tube of the other foot has been sacrificed to 

 experiment ; and among the other specimens in spirits, are the hind 

 and fore foot of a young buck, and the hind foot of a Virginia 

 deer ; and of the latter, a separate tube, and also dried, the hind 

 and fore foot of the old doe caribou, and fore foot of the young one, 

 and skins from the fore feet of the old buck. In the skin of the fore 

 feet of the old buck there is and was no appearance of the tubes, 

 they have been absorbed. By many, it appears to me erroneously, 

 these tubes are considered to be scent " glands." Camper 

 evidently did not think so ; but he says (page 348) : " The skin 

 of the fore feet, as well as that of the hind, which unite the dew 

 claws, were sprinkled with thousands of glandules, which probably 

 give out an oleagenous matter, intended to protect the hoofs against 

 the snow." This, it appears to me, may be said as to the "glandules" 

 of any part of the skin with equal correctness. Prior to December 

 last, having paid very little attention to these tubes, and having 

 superficially examined only a few specimens some days killed, had. 

 the question been asked me, were they scent glands, the answer 

 might have been affirmative ; but after a careful examination of the 

 animal while warm, my original note made in the woods reads, 

 " The passage or so-called ' gland,' opening in the front of the 

 hind foot, terminates close to the skin of its under surface. It is 

 hair lined to its extremity. The separation or unity of this tube 

 with the lower part of the sole skin is by ' fascia ' attached to the 

 apex of the passage ; it is not a gland properly so called." From 

 further examination of a number of fresh tubes, and from the 

 tbservations made by Dr. Sommers, my first view that they were 

 •or the purpose of strengthening the bones of the foot of this- 



