[ *59 J 



Leemius affirms, in his ninth chapter, that the Reins lofe 

 their horns in the fpring, which is not only contradicted by what 

 Hoffberg and Buffon have advanced, but by the fact, for Mr. 

 Heyde's buck dropt his horns for two fucceffive winters, but 

 refumed them in the fpring. In one of thefe years they con- 

 tinued to be no more than flumps till the 30th of January, 

 when they began to moot; on the 24th of February they were 

 five or fix inches high, covered with a deep pile of velvet. 



At the fame time Leemius not only afierts this to happen other- 

 wife, but the engravings wnich accompany his work reprefent 

 the deer amongft fnow with their horns on '. 



In juftice to Leemius, however, I fhould add m , that though 

 Hoffberg and BufFon take notice that the Rein lofes his horns at 

 the approach of winter", yet other naturalifts have luppoied 

 that they were of ufe in removing the fnow which covers the 

 lichen they are faid to be fo fond of, and which is utterly in- 

 conliftent with this quadruped being deprived of them during 

 the winter. Leemius indeed exprefsly informs us, that they 

 procure the lichen by means of their feet °. 



1 Moft of the Reins, however, which draw fleds,- have been gelt; and 

 it is obfervable that oar fallow deer, which undergo the fame operation 

 for the fake of haver venifon, never lofe their horns afterwards. 



m Leemius is alfo fupported by Le-Brun in this particular. See his 

 Travels, Vol. I. p. n. 



n Yet in another part of the fame differtation, H dfberg mentions^ 

 that the Reins are fattened to the fled in the winter by their horns. 

 See Am. /-Vcad. p. 167. Vol. IV. 



0 P. 141. De la Motraye takes notice of the fame circumfcance; and 

 that their hoofs are formed like mufcle fheils fet on their edge, and :on- 

 fejoaently very convenient for fcooping away the fnow which covers me 

 lichen, called by the Sweeds Steenmo/fh, and by the Laplanders ¥ek I . 

 Reins are alfo fond of another mofs which hangs do m from the branches 

 ol pines [in Sweedifh Laa s and in the Lap language Loppo] which they 

 make off with their antlers. With regard to the firfi circumft mce, I fin< 1 that 

 Motraye is confirmed by the fpecimen of a rein's leg in Sir AQiton Le- 

 ver's Mufeum, as the hoofs are of the form defcribe'd, and at tfeaft two 

 inches and a half high, very thin, and tapering in the form of a fcoop. 



As 



