162 THEOUGH THE MACKENZIE BASIN 



Anderson an example in the flesh, except the ribs of a few 

 in a dried state; but in course of my six years' charge of 

 Fort Good Hope (latitude 66" 16' north), the Hare and 

 ISTahanni Indians frequently supplied the establishment with 

 a number of dressed skins and a considerable quantity of 

 the venison of this animal. A similar remark would apply 

 to my five years' residence at Eort Simpson (latitude 62° 

 north, longitude 122° west) ; but although the species is 

 fairly distributed throughout New Caledonia District, Brit- 

 ish Columbia, we seldom obtained any of its meat or pre- 

 served skins during my two years' charge. It is not 

 uncommon in the Athabasca and Peace River Districts, nor 

 at Cumberland House, Saskatchewan, where we occasionally 

 received some venison and skins while I was stationed there 

 in 1889 to 1894. It is not improbable, however, that the 

 variety of wpodland caribou found in the Eoeky Mountains 

 of northern Canada may belong to the mountain caribou dis- 

 covered in the Selkirk Range of British Columbia and made 

 known to science by Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton, in 1899. 

 It is said to be darker in colour than Maine and other eastern 

 specimens. 



Baeees Geotjnd Eeestdeee — Eangifer arcticus 

 (Richardson) . 



Although this interesting animal has of late years been 

 very irregular in frequenting ancient passes and haunts in 

 the forest country, and in numbers very considerably less 

 than formerly, yet it is believed to be still very numerous 

 in the " Mackenzie Basin." The northern Indians were 

 accustomed, in the face of repeated remonstrances on the 

 part of the Company's officers and resident missionaries, to 

 slaughter thousands of reindeer annually, chiefly for the 

 skins and tongues, and too often from the sheer love of kill- 

 ing. But as they have latterly experienced protracted spells 

 of food scarcity, and even actual starvation, I believe it has 



