Alia. 93, 1896.] 
Black bears are especially numerous in the Peace Eiver 
country, but are found throughout the whole Mackenzie 
Basin in good numbers. 
The woodland reindeer or caribou lives permanently in 
wooded or mountainous districts on both sides of the 
Mackenzie and its tributaries. It is more numerous, 
however, and attains a larger size to the west of the 
Mackenzie, where it probably finds more abundant food. 
Mr, Ogilvie found it in Alaska while passing from 
Chilkat Inlet to the upper Peel River. The other species, 
the Barren Ground reindeer, is the animal which furnishes 
food for thousands of Esquimaux, Dog Ribs, Hare, 
Slavey and Coppermine Indians. From Hudson's Bay, 
in latitude 59°, the line which marks tree limit bends in a 
northwesterly direction till it reaches the Arctic Ocean, a 
short distance east of the Mackenzie Delta. Between this 
line and the sea lie the Barren Grounds inhabited by the 
reindeer, musk ox, wolves, wolverines, foxes, hares, and 
in the summer many species of wildfowl and smaller 
l)irds. It is not, as the name implies, a true barren 
ground. For some distance from the so-called tree limit 
stunted spruces and willows are found in sheltered hollows 
and along the wat-er courses, and even in the more ex- 
posed places one can often find a growth of dwarf birch 
and willow only a few inches high. Sweet short grasses 
too grow in the interior, and in some places to the very 
shores of the Arctic Sea, 
The Barren Ground reindeer is a distinct species from 
the woodland deer. They may meet in the wooded coun- 
try dm'ing the winter, but they never interbreed. The 
Barren Ground deer during the latter part of October 
seek the shelter of the tree country, but as early as Feb- 
ruary the females and younger males start on their long 
journey to the shores of the Arctic Sea, arriving in April, 
There the fawns are born, and remain till in September, 
the herd begins its return journey to the south. 
In October they join the males and stay with them 
until it is time to regain their winter quarters. 
The lives of the natives depend on these migrations, 
and should the herds fail to pass by their accustomed 
routes north and south, great suffering and many deaths 
from starvation will follow. The deer skins furnish tents, 
"clothing, bedding, material for nets, thread, snowshoe 
lacings and dog harness, while the flesh is the great staple 
•of food for themselves and their dogs, and is bartered at 
the Hudson Bay Co.'s posts for tea, tobacco, ammunition 
and other necessaries. 
While in the north I met Mr. McKinley, a Hudson Bay 
•Oo.'s ofScer, who accompanied Mr. Warburton Pike on a 
hunting excursion four years ago. They went some dis- 
tance down Back's Fish River, but did not reach the Arc- 
tic Circle, as the season was late and their Indians afraid 
of Esquimaux. 
Mr. McKinley told me that on leaving the north shore 
of Great Slave Lab e the trees rapidly became stunted, 
and after a dozen miles only scrubby specimens a few 
^eet high are seen. Here the country presents a most 
desolate appearance. In the hollows are grasses, dwarf 
willows and a few dwarfed spruces, but looking across 
'country one sees only sharply tilted, rocky ridges, mak- 
ing traveling a painful and arduous task. Going still 
further, the land becomes more level and the soil better, 
and one often sees a beautiful growth of Arctic plants in 
•among the grasses and on the mossy slopes. 
The Barren Grounds have no permanent inhabitants, 
-even the hardy Indians making only hunting excursions 
from its western borders for musk ox and reindeer, but 
*neV©r reaching the heart of the country. In summer the 
w^men can go with the men part of the way, for even 
•3»<!iyond the forest country they can find turf, dwarf wil- 
lows, and the Andromeda polifolia or crowberry, which 
serves as fuel; but in the winter, when the show covers 
all, only the men venture in. They take with them on 
sledges as much fuel as the dogs can draw; the wood is cut 
in pieces 3 or 4in, in diameter and 2ft, long. One of 
these is used at a meal, and ten or twelve men will cook 
their dinner at the same fire for economy's sake. The 
dried meat is shredded very fine, put in a kettle of water 
and held close to the tiny fire. When the kettle boils it is 
removed, and the contents eaten, half cooked as they 
are. 
Formerly the reindeer was found abundantly near Great 
Slave Lake, but for the last six or seven years they have 
been very scarce, and the hunters must go further to the 
east and northeast. Forest fires have burned the hanging 
moss which drapes the spruces in the north, and which is 
a favorite food of the reindeer, and the marshy feeding 
grounds have been destroyed. When a fire once starts in 
the beds of peat moss it may burn a long time, smoulder- 
ing even under the winter snow. 
Mr, Warburton Pike had much trouble evidently with 
his Indians and half-breeds, who served as guides and 
assistants on his journey. They charged him big prices, 
were insubordinate, quarrelsome, and must have been 
very disagreeable traveling companions. The usual price 
paid by the Hudson Bay Company to men acting as 
guides is "a skin" (about 50 cents) a day. Rations also 
must be provided: about three fisb a day for each man or 
:3lbs, of dried meat, and lib. of tobacco and lib. of tea a 
month. For bedding in summer one good company's 
'blanket is all that is necessary for a hardy man, and in 
winter a deerskin robe or two will be needed in addi- 
tion. 
Mr. Ogilvie describes one native method of killing the 
reindeer in Alaska, A ravine where the snow lies deep is 
selected, and around it on the lower side is built a brush 
^ence, which is extended upward and backward to the 
mplands on each side, diverging until the ends are some 
miles apart. The fence consists merely of crotched sticks 
rstuok into the snow at suitable distances, with poles laid 
horizontally in the crotches, due care being taken to cut 
and mark them so that the agency of man in its erection 
is made very evident, A party then scours the country 
around the mouth of the trap all the time, gradually ap- 
proaching it, and driving any animal in the vicinity be- 
tween the arms, which the deer avoid. They are thus 
slowly driven to the snow pit at the end, where they are 
easily dispatched. Had the reindeer sense enough ihey 
could easily dash through the fence, but they will not ap- 
proach it. 
In a similar way the Barren Ground Indians guide the 
deer to a narrow place in the wooded pountry or to some 
body of water where hunters are in hiding with their 
canoes. When the herd takes to the water the hunter 
darts out from the shore and spears the animals as they 
swim, the spear entering back of the ribs. The thrust 
caust be given from behind, for if the canoe comes further 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
forward the animal in dying will turn over and kick, up- 
setting the canoe. A long ppear tipped with metal is used 
in hunting the reindeer. The back angles are cut sharp, 
BO that the weapon can be easily withdrawn. The victi ms 
are left to die in the water and the hunter follows the fly- 
ing herd, spearing another and another as he goes. 
An intelligent Hare Indian at the Delta spoke to me in 
favor of the old mode of hunting with bows and arrows. 
He said that purs frightened the deer frnm the country 
and that the Indians fare no better now tha,n in former 
times, when more primitive weapons were used. If one 
of a band is shot with bows and arrows the others will 
look at it and perhaps run to and fro in a confused way, 
but will not become thoroughly alarmed and leave the 
neighborhood; but when they are once well frightened 
by the reports of guns the herd will run for a long dis- 
tance beyond the reach of the Indians. Bows and arrows 
are used now by the Indians only for wildfowl and small 
game. The Esquimaux still hunt reindeer with them, 
but during the last few years rifles have been obtained by 
some of the Esquimaux from American whalers west of 
the Mackenzie. 
The skin of the reindeer is in best condition in July, 
when the old coat has fallen and the new one is dark and 
thick. I was given while in the north a beautiful albino 
skin, that of a yearling. It was snowy white except for 
a few brown specks on the throat — a great rarity in 
America. The tame deer of Norway, Lapland and Sibe- 
ria are more varied in color than those of America, and 
many of the Siberian skins are piebald. These are con- 
sidered especially desirable for native dresses, as it is said 
that the hair does not fall out as soon as that of the wild 
animals. 
A Hudson Bay Company oflScer told me that from Her- 
schell Island, 100 miles west of the Delta, piebald skins 
were sometimes bought by the Indians; but I am inclined 
MR. NKWBKRY'S LARGEST TRO0T, 3-%LBS. 
to think that these skins had found their way there from 
the Asiatic tribes across Bebring Straits, In former 
times there was a brisk trade between the natives of the 
two continents. 
Although the musk ox and reindeer occupy the same 
region during the summer months, the musk ox seldom 
migrates as far south in the winter as tree limit, remain- 
ing north of latitude 60°. Nor is its range as wide as that 
of the reindeer, and it is not found at the present time 
west of 'the Mackenzie, though fossil remains show that it 
once inhabited Alaska. The easiest route to the musk ox 
country is to start from Fort Rae; or going first to Fort 
Resolution, on Great Slave Lake, strike northward from 
that point. This was the course taken by Mr. Warburton 
Pike and Mr. McKinley on Mr. Pike's first expedition. 
They went in on the last snow, leaving the lake May 7 
and returning Aug, 23. In about eight days they reached 
the land of the musk ox. 
The animals are usually seen in small bands ranging 
from five to fifty, but there may be many bands within a 
short distance. One Indian, who had been down the 
Coppsrmine River the spring before I visited the far 
north, reported that he had seen the musk ox in immense 
numbers, as he said, "They were as the buffalo " 
There seems to be little danger of the speedy exteirmi- 
nation of the musk ox. The difiiculty of bringing out the 
meat and robes to the posts is very great, and the severe 
climate and rough country prove a protection. The ani- 
mals, as they are hunted more and more, will retire fur- 
ther to the interior, until they will reach a point where it 
will be almost impossible for the Indians to pursue them. 
Only within the last twenty years have the musk ox 
robes en "made fur" of; that is bought by the Hudson 
Bay c other companies. With the disappearance of the 
buff a arose a demand for musk ox skins, for sleigh robes 
and or rugs. Fort Rae is the post from which the 
gre? St number of muak ox robes are sent to the outside 
woi J. About 1,000 left the district the year I was there, 
but some passed through the hands of opposition traders 
— those not connected with the Hudson Bay Company. 
The best skin is that of a three-year-old cow, fine, uni- 
form and not too tufty or hairy. At Winnipeg a robe can 
sometimes be bought for $35, but often in London twice 
that amount is charged for a good skin. Most of the 
robes sold in the fashionable Regent street shops are sold 
to Canadians and find their way eventually to our side of 
the ocean. The skin of a young calf a few days old is 
really beautiful, the hair being soft and silky with a close 
inner growth of wool. Often the dusky brown hair is 
interspersed with gray, suggesting the fur of a silver fox. 
These baby musk ox skins are beginning to be in demand 
n the market. Two of the smallest will make a muff 
nd long boaj aud are very pretty, though rather odd. 
148 
The fur is much more durable than lynx, but does not 
wear as well as that of the black bear. 
The Barren Grounds are well suited to the capture of 
reindeer and musk ox. Over the summits of the rooty 
ridges one can often see the antlers of the deer, and by 
creeping along cautiously come within easy shooting 
range. In the spring and autumn heavy fogs are fre- 
quent, and at such seasons the Indians always hunt in 
couples. These fogs come suddenly upon the hunter; a 
gray advancing cloud is seen, a chill in the air is felt, and 
one is enveloped in the mist and unable to see the half of 
canoe's length in front. 
Mr, McKinley told me that he had never seen the musk 
ox show fight; even when wounded they would try to 
escape. However, they defend their young valiantly 
from the wolves, putting the calves and the females 
within a circle and presenting their formidable horns to 
the enemy. 
One of the hunters at Fort Rae — Antoine— agreed with 
Mr. McKinley in saying that the mother covers her calf 
with snow immediately after birth, and it remains there 
under shelter for several days. 
In Antoine's broken English, "The mother paw snow 
over baby musk ox, making like a little house. The 
warm makes like a roof over the baby musk ox, as the 
snow melts a little. The baby lie there quiet and does 
not drink milk. Then in two, three days, the baby 
grow strong and comes out and drinks milk of its mother. 
After that if anything come near to frighten the mother 
she runs to baby musk ox and paws snow all over him to 
hide him. The hunters shoot the mother and the baby 
comes out from snow and is afraid of dogs and runs to 
hunters. They cut its throat with knives and knock it in 
the head, and sometimes dogs run and pull it down and 
bite its throat." 
Mr. McKinley corroborated this, and described the little 
brown head rising up out of the snow where it had been 
hidden, and the poor little thing hurrying to them for 
protection from tho dogs. 
The young animals accompany the mother for several 
months, and if the latter is killed the calf will linger 
near and can easily be run down and captured with the 
help of dogs, Lieut, Greely succeeded in taking several 
calves his first winter in the Arctic regions; they became 
tame in a few days and would no doubt have thrived had 
they been given roomy quarters and exercise; but the 
Esquimau dogs made it necessary to confine the calves 
closely, and they died after a few months. 
Sir Donald A, Smith, governor of the Hudson Bay Co., 
has offered a large reward for two young musk ox, but 
so far no one has claimed the reward. The food on 
which the animal lives, mosses, lichens and grasses, is 
abundant from the true Barren lands almost to civiliza- 
tion. By taking a young animal just weaned from its 
mother the undertaking could no doubt be carried out 
succesefuUv. An eight or ten days' journey would bring 
it to Fort Rae, on Great Slave Lake, and from that pQint 
the little Hudson B,ay Co. steamers that make one trip a 
year to the far north and the "brigade" of open boats 
manned by Indians would bring the Arctic voyageur 
within 100 miles of Edmonton, the most northern town 
in Canada, From Edmonton there would be no trouble 
(wagons aild the railway being the mode of travel), and 
in about a week more the young musk ox would reach 
Montreal, the home of Sir Donald. Elizabeth Taylor. 
SPORT IN INDIA— III. 
Central India. 
Going again southward we found Central India a 
rough, hilly country, only partially cleared and settled. 
In some sections there are very extensive stretches of 
populated open country, while in others there are equally 
extensive masses of untouched forest, but generally 
speaking there is a scattered intermixture of forest and 
clearing which is a state of things very favorable for 
sport. Deer of all iinds are usually more plentiful along 
the edges of the woods and round about clearings than in 
the midst of extensive forest. They like to get out on to 
the open at night and they come after the crops. Tiger 
and leopard follow the deer and also prey on the villager's 
cattle. Thus the sportsman can camp in a convenient 
way within easy reach of villages and supplies, and fol- 
lowing main lines of road, and yet have plenty of game 
round about. In the open stretches there are plenty of 
black antelope, nylgau, bustard, florican partridges, sand 
grouse, etc., and the gazelle is here abundant. The 
country abounds with artificial sheets of water formed by 
damming up rivers for the purpose of irrigating the land 
and getting a water supply, which would otherwise be 
very deficient in this dry, rocky country. On these are 
to be found wild duck, teal, snipe, etc. The forests con- 
tain all the kinds of game before mentioned and in ad- 
dition the Indian bison, which is not found in the north. 
This is the largest of the bovine tribe, standing 6ft, at the 
shoulder, of huge bulk and carrying massive horns. The 
stalking of these great beasts on the wooded hillsides is 
one of the most interesting of Indian field sports. 
A great deal of the shooting in Central India is effected 
by driving the game with the aid of a large body of 
beaters. A piece of forest perhaps half a mile wide and a 
mile or more long having been selected, as known or 
likely to hold some game, the sportsmen take their posi- 
tions across one end and the beaters forming a line across 
the far end advance gradually, making a hideous din 
with yells and drams and driving everything before 
them. Tigers, leopards, bears, hogs and deer are thus 
shot. In the case of tigers the arrangements are usually 
rather elaborate. 
In addition to the beaters men are posted in trees 
at short intervals down each side of the beat to prevent 
the tiger from escaping to one side, so that the animal is 
surrounded and forced to go down to the guns. The 
sportsmen in this case are posted on rough platfornas of 
boughs and poles in trees some 12 or 14ft. above the 
ground. As it is not worth while to make all these prep- 
arations on the mere chance of a tiger being there, pre- 
liminaiy measures are taken by tieing up calves every 
night as baits in likely places round about camp. These 
are visited early every morning, fed and watered for the 
day and again tied out for the night. When one is killed 
it is easy for practiced professional hunters to decide 
pretty accurately where the tiger has laid up. Being 
gorged, he will lie up for the day in thf nearest suitable 
stretch of thick covert, and then the drive ia organized 
and carried out, 
