THE EUMINANT OEDEE. 293 



The males and barren females lose their horns In the course 

 of October ; the breeding females, on the contrary, do not shed 

 them until the time of briaging forth, that is, ia the month 

 of May. 



The Reindeer (Fig. 116) is about the size of the Red Deer, 

 but it is heavier built. Its head is wide, and rather resembles 

 that of the Ox ; but there is no muzzle, and the nostrils open 

 in the midst of the hair. The legs are finely made, although 

 less slender than those of the Stag, and are terminated by firm 

 and strong feet. The latter are covered all over with stiff hair, 

 even on the underneath part — a circumstance which singidarly 

 facilitates the animal's tread on ice and frozen snow. Its coat is 

 rough, of a greyish brown colour, and is pendent under the 

 throat ; in the winter it becomes woolly, and frequently changes 

 colour to white. One of nature's precautions which cannot be 

 too much admired, is the plan which is intended to protect the 

 Reindeer's eye against the fatiguing brilliancy of the snow ; this 

 is a third nictating eyelid, which, at the animal's will, covers 

 the whole of the ocular globe. 



The Reindeer is a native of the icy deserts of the Arctic regions, 

 and the most northerly countries in which man has placed his 

 abode. It is foimd in Spitzbergen, Greenland, Lapland, Finland, 

 and the whole of Northern Russia, in Siberia, Tartarj^, and, 

 lastly, in Canada and all the adjacent isles. In Russia, it some- 

 times migrates southward as far as the foot of the Caucasus. 



The Reindeer is a most valuable animal to the unfortunate 

 people who dwell around the polar circle. Without it, existence 

 in these high latitudes would scarcely be bearable. It is almost 

 ■ impossible to form a just idea of the services which this animal 

 renders, more especially to the Laplanders, for to them it fiUs 

 the place of both Horse, Ox, and Sheep; for, when domesti- 

 cated, it goes in harness like the first, and drags sledges and 

 carriages even with great rapidity. On even ground, it can 

 travel seven or eight leagues an hour; but its ordinary pace 

 is from four to five leagues in that space of time. There is, 

 in the palace of the King of Sweden, a picture represent- 

 ing a Reindeer which carried an officer charged with urgent 

 dispatches a distance of three hundred and twenty leagues ia 

 forty-eight hours ; that is to say, an uninterrupted pace of six 



