BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU. 109 
rarely leave those provinces, while they may frequently pass from 
one favorite haunt to another. They are very restless animals, 
almost constantly on the move, and, indeed, this is the disposi- 
tion which promotes habits of migration. 
The summary of all the evidence I can gather on the subject is, 
that the woodland caribou are migratory in their habits, but to 
a much less extent than the northern species, even where there 
are no physical obstructions to limit their migrations. 
The most singular feature of this habit is thus stated by Sir 
John Richardson (‘Fauna Boreali Americana,” p. 250), who 
says: ‘Contrary to the practice of the Barren-ground Caribou, 
the woodland variety, travels to the southward in the spring. 
They cross the Nelson and Severn rivers in numerous herds in 
the month of May, and pass the summer on the low marshy 
shores of James Bay, and return to the northward, and at the 
same time retire more inland in the month of September.” Here, 
then, we find the woodland caribou migrating to the northward, 
on the west coast of Hudson’s Bay, and west of it as high as 
55° to 57° of north latitude, which is within one degree of 
Churchill, which is near the southern limit of the range of the 
Barren-ground Caribou in that longitude as given by Richardson, 
though I have authentic evidence that they sometimes come con- 
siderably farther south in exceptional seasons. Mr. McTavish 
assures me, that in the winter of 1856, the Barren-ground Cari- 
bou came in great numbers down the Mississague River to Lake 
Huron, about thirty-six miles below the Bruce Mine. This was 
in about 47° north latitude, and the extreme southern point of 
the range of the woodland caribou. This, we may admit, was 
very exceptional, but we may, I think, safely assume, for all the 
evidence clearly establishes the facts to this extent, that the 
northern range of the southern species, and the southern range 
of the northern species overlap each other, for at least a degree, 
and sometimes very much more, not only in Labrador, but also 
west of Hudson’s Bay. As we go still further west, even to the 
Coppermine and Mackenzie rivers, which is the western limit of 
the range of the Barren-ground Caribou, the southern line of 
their range trends more to the northward, and so does the northern 
range of the woodland caribou, and as the latter travel north in 
the fall, at the same time that the smaller species return from 
the arctic regions with their young, they must there, sometimes, 
meet on common ground during the rutting season, at least the 
latter part of it. This season, with individuals, continues for 
