THE HOME OF THE CARIBOU 



of cattle in a field. The experience was delightful, one never 

 to be forgotten. 



The reindeer, which is the same as the Barren Ground 

 caribou, is an animal of exceptional interest. To those whose 

 imaginations dwell on visions of St. Nicholas and his coursers 

 it is the ideal steed ; while to the hardy native of the frigid 

 zone it is a faithful and efficient servant, and is undoubtedly 

 the most useful and valuable of the fifty or more known 

 varieties of deer. 



In different localities, and at different seasons of the year, 

 reindeer vary in appearance. They range in weight from 

 one hundred to four hundred pounds. During the months of 

 June and July they present their poorest appearance, being 

 then lean and scrawny, and their half-shed coats ragged and 

 frowsy. By the month of August they have discarded their 

 tattered last winter garments, and have assumed sleek, glossy 

 brown, summer coats, which give them a smaller but much 

 more comely appearance. From this time, both because of 

 increasing flesh and length of hair, they become gradually 

 larger and more handsome, until, by the month of November, 

 when they don their winter suits of white and grey, they are 

 transformed in appearance into the noblest animals of the 

 chase. 



Then it is that the enormous antlers of the male deer have 

 attained their full, hard growth, and he is thus armed for the 

 many battles habitually fought during the months of Novem- 

 ber and December for the possession of favored members of 

 the female sex. During the month of January these antlers 

 of the male deer, having served their purpose as weapons of 

 warfare, are annually cast. Within a few weeks of the falling 

 of the old horns, soft new ones begin to form beneath the 

 skin, and gradually these increase in size until they reach 

 maturity the following autumn. During growth the antlers 

 remain comparatively soft, and are covered with skin and 

 fine short hair, known as the " velvet." At maturity a cir- 



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