THE WOODLAND CAKIBOU 



133 



When a caribou walks, its long stride and 

 swinging gait proclaim a born traveller and mi- 

 grant. And truly, the strangest of all caribou 

 habits is that which impels these creatures, par- 

 ticularly the Barren Ground species, to assem- 

 ble in immense throngs, and for climatic reasons 

 migrate en masse, for long distances. In the 



are short in the main beam, liberally palmated 

 both on brow-tines and tips, and have more than 

 thirty points. As a whole, the antlers have a tree- 

 top appearance. 



2. Antlers of Barren Ground caribou, gen- 

 erally, are long in the main beam, scantily palmated, 

 especially on the tips, and have less than thirty 



E. F. Keller, Photo. Reproduced from the Seventn Annual Report of tiie N. V. Zoological Society. 



WOODLAND CARIBOU. 



Adult male specimen in the Zoological Park. Height at shoulders, 48 inches, weight, 280 pounds. For a 



Caribou as large as this the antlers are small. 



woodland species, however, this habit is not 

 nearly so pronounced. 



Character of Antlers. — A comparison of 

 many antlers of Woodland caribou with those of 

 Barren Ground animals reveals one or two points 

 of difference which seem sufficiently distinct to 

 be accepted as constant. 



1. Antlers of Woodland caribou, generally, 



points. As a whole, the antlers have an arm-chair 

 appearance. 



If these distinctions between the two great 

 groups of caribou will not hold good, none will. 



The Woodland Caribou of Maine, Ontario 

 and Quebec (Rangifer caribou), is the original 

 type of what recently has become a group of 

 species. Its body color is bluish-brown and 



