16 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



takes place at different times in the young and older animals. 

 I cannot do better than bring his views before the reader in 

 his own words, particularly as he comes to a different opinion 

 from that which I felt disposed to adopt on one or two of the 

 points which I speculated upon. Mr Mackenzie says — " I 

 have consulted one of our most intelligent natives, a man of 

 about sixty years of age, who has been a deer hunter from his 

 youth, and the result of our " conference" I will presently 

 give you. I send by the ship a deer's head and antlers, which 

 were received about last Christmas, and said to have been 

 killed early in December ; it bears some resemblance to the 

 North American species, a representation of which is given 

 in your pamphlet, although the brow antler, however, forms a 

 small angle with the head, and does not come down parallel 

 with it, as in the heads sent you by Mr Hargrave ; it has also 

 a second projecting prong, bent near the head, without any 

 terminal points or fingers, but these it would have had, had 

 the animal lived a year or two more ; indeed the horns do not 

 cease growing till the seventh year. I do not believe that 

 the brow antler is intended for the purpose of clearing away 

 the snow, but is intended rather as a means of defence against 

 the animal's numerous enemies. The wolf, wolverine, and lynx, 

 destroy them, I am informed, in great numbers ; but the ani- 

 mal, on its guard, appears to me to have a good means of 

 defence in his brow antler. Generally, however, he is taken at 

 a disadvantage ; when lying down, and off his guard, the lynx 

 (of the cat tribe) moves stealthily along, and with a bound 

 springs upon his back, and fastening his claws in his neck 

 and throat, worries him to death. The wolf and wolverine 

 are not numerous (the latter, indeed, is rarely found) in 

 this part of the country, but of the three the latter is the most 

 savage, and with him the deer has little chance of escape 

 when attacked. Indian opinion here is, that for clearing away 

 the snow, the animal uses his fore-legs alone ; and whether it 

 is hard or soft, they are well adapted for the purpose. My 

 own opinion is, that our rein-deer is the same as the Lapland 

 rein-deer. The following information, collected as I have al- 

 ready mentioned, may tend to throw some light on the subject. 

 The rutting season is in September ; the females carry 



