246 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 
“* visits the polar regions at the latter end of May or the early part of June, and 
remains until late in September. On his first arrival, he is thin, and his flesh is 
tasteless, but the short summer is sufficient to fatten him to two or three inches on 
the haunches. When feeding on the level ground, an Esquimaux makes no 
attempt to approach him, but should a few rocks be near, the wary hunter feels 
secure of his prey.. Behind one of these he cautiously creeps, and having laid 
himself very close, with his bow and arrow before him, imitates the bellow of the 
deer when calling to each other. Sometimes, for more complete deception, the 
- hunter wears his deer-skin coat and hood so drawn over his head, as to resemble, 
in a great measure, the unsuspecting animals he is enticing. Though the bellow 
proves a considerable attraction, yet if a man has great patience he may do 
without it, and may be equally certain that his prey will ultimately come to 
examine him; the rein-deer being an inquisitive animal, and at the same time so 
silly, that if he sees any suspicious object which is not actually chasing him, he 
will gradually, and after many caperings, and forming repeated circles, approach 
nearer and nearer to it. The Esquimaux rarely shoot until the creature is within 
twelve paces, and I have frequently been told of their being killed at a much 
shorter distance. It is to be observed that the hunters never appear openly, but 
employ stratagem for their purpose; thus, by patience and ingenuity, rendering 
their rudely-formed bows, and still worse arrows, as effective as the rifles of 
Europeans. When two men hunt in company, they sometimes purposely shew 
themselves to the deer, and when his attention is fully engaged, walk slowly 
away from him, one before the other. The deer follows, and when the hunters 
arrive near a stone, the foremost drops behind it and prepares his bow, while his 
companion continues walking steadily forward. This latter, the deer still follows 
unsuspectingly, and thus passes near the concealed man, who takes a deliberate 
aim and kills the animal. When the deer assemble in herds, there are particular 
passes which they invariably take, and on being driven to them are killed by 
arrows by the men, while the women, with shouts, drive them to the water. 
Here they swim with the ease and activity of water-dogs, the people in kayaks. 
chasing and easily spearing them ; the carcasses float, and the hunter then 
presses forward and kills as many as he finds in his track. No springs or traps 
are used in the capture of these animals, as is practised to the southward, in 
consequence of the total absence of standing wood.” ‘The caribou entirely quit 
the districts which Captain Lyon visited, in the winter; but the Esquimaux who. 
inhabit the coast of the Welcome, to the southward of Chesterfield inlet, have 
an opportunity, by the animals continuing in their country, of shewing their 
ingenuity in the construction of deer-traps, of their convenient and elegant 
