THE REINDEEE. 449 



Keindeer are milked by some Laplanders once and by others 

 twice a day, and this process of milking is described as one of the 

 most interesting scenes to be witnessed in the country. 



" Towards evening the reindeer are driven from the mountains 

 to the tents. Their arrival is first announced by the barking of 

 the dogs, who run round the herd to keep the animals together. 

 Soon the whole herd is descried, forming a closely packed mass, 

 which moves along like a grey cloud. As the animals approach 

 nearer, the horns become a prominent object, resembling a moving 

 leafless forest, and very various in the form and size. The fawns 

 push through among the full-grown animals, and we at last hear 

 a crackling noise, produced by the movement of their legs, and 

 resembling the sound of burning fir-trees, or rather that of elec- 

 tric sparks. Here and there is heard a sound somewhat like the 

 grunting of swine. Near the tents there is a circular enclosure, 

 provided with two openings or doors. When the reindeer 

 approach it they press closely together in order to enter, and one 

 sees only the moving mass and the projecting horns. Should a 

 deer or a fawn remain behind, or take a wrong path, a dog imme- 

 diately pursues it, and the deserter is soon seen running back to 

 the herd at full pace, followed by the dog. The animals now 

 stand closely packed together within the fence, and are so tame 

 that a stranger even can touch them without trouble or danger. 

 In the centre of the enclosure there is a small erection, to which 

 the animal is strongly bound during the milking in order that it 

 inay not become unruly, and upset both the milk and the milker. 

 The milking is performed by men, women, and children ; but the 

 task of bringing the animals to the milking-place belongs exclu- 

 sively to a particular man, and is accomplished in the following 



manner : — 



*' This individual is accurately acquainted with every animal, 

 even in a herd of several hundred, and knows if it is a male or 

 female, and if it is milked or not. He goes with a noose in his 

 hand and throws it so dexterously over the horns of the animal 

 he wishes to secure that he never fails in his aim, even at a dis- 

 tance of fifteen or twenty yards, and when many other individuals 

 are standing between him and his object. So soon as the noose 



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