280 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 
ated, and at its termination retires to still deeper seclusion, where 
with returned appetite he tries to recruit his flesh and strength, 
wherewith to meet the rigors of winter; but if he be an old buck 
he but partially succeeds in this, and if the hunter has to depend 
on his flesh to supply his camp he needs sharp teeth and a good 
appetite to make it tender and delicious. 
The rutting season with the old animals commences in Sep- 
tember and the fawns are dropped in May. With young ani- 
mals this season is later with both sexes. In general it may be. 
said to commence at the time the antlers of the males are di- 
vested of their velvet, and this remark is equally applicable to all 
of this great family of ruminants, though, as I have shown else- 
where, they are capable of procreation at any other season of the 
year, and when opportunities are wanting at the proper season 
they at least sometimes breed at other times of the year. 
THE CARIBOU. 
Of the disposition of our Caribou I know nothing from my 
own observation, and learn nothing from others, except of their 
fear of man and their efforts to escape his pursuit. I find no rec- 
ord of a manifestation of courage even in desperate circum- 
stances, and I learn nothing from the hunters of such an occur- 
ence. Of the domesticated reindeer, in Northern Europe, which 
is identical in species with ours, we know that they frequently 
become dangerous during the rut, and even at other seasons 
they sometimes become unmanageable and attack their driver, 
but this frenzied state lasts but a short time, and they are soon 
induced to resume the journey. As only the castrated reindeer 
are worked in harness by the Lapps, this vicious disposition 
which thus sometimes manifests itself when at work should be 
considered exceptional did we not remember that the operation 
of emasculation is very imperfectly performed , so that the stim- 
ulating, or provoking influence is still felt, at least partially. In 
all of the species with which I have experimented in this direc- 
tion, after complete emasculation every vestige of wickedness 
seems to be eradicated, and scarcely any courage, even, seems to 
be left; and I doubt much if the reindeer should be considered 
exceptional in this regard. 
But few efforts have been made to domesticate either species 
of our Caribou. The Woodland Caribou, at least, seems to be a 
wild, restless animal, even during the winter ranging through wide 
districts of country, and often changing his home, and very sus- 
