CARIBOU OR AMERICAN REINDEER. 
115 
When pursued the Caribou immediately makes for a swamp and follows 
the margin, taking at times to the water and again footing it over the firm 
ground, and sometimes turning towards the nearest mountain crosses it to 
another morass. If hard pressed by the hunters (who now and then follow 
up the chase for four or five days) the animal ascends to the loftiest peaks 
of the mountains for greater security, and the pursuit becomes very 
fatiguing and uncertain. Upon one occasion two men followed several 
Caribou for a whole week, when, completely tired out they gave up the 
chase, which was then continued by two other hunters who at last succeeded 
in killing a couple of the animals at long shot. Sometimes, however, fresh 
tracks are found and the Caribou is surprised whilst lying down or 
browsing, and shot on the spot. When the snow is not deep and the lakes 
are covered with ice only, the animal if closely pushed makes for one of 
them and runs over the ice so fast that it is unable to stop if struck with 
alarm at any object presenting itself in front, and it then suddenly squats 
down on its haunches and slides along in that ludicrous position until, the 
impetus being exhausted, it rises again and makes off in some other direction. 
When the Caribou takes to the ice the hunters always give up the chase. 
Sometimes when the mouth and throat of a fresh killed Keindeer are 
examined they are found to be filled with a blackish looking mucus, resem- 
bling thin mud, but which appears to be only a portion of the partially 
decomposed black mosses upon which it fed, probably forced into the 
throat and mouth of the animal in its dying agonies. 
We were informed that two wood-choppers, whilst felling trees at a 
distance from any settlement, saw a Caribou fawn approaching them which 
was so gentle that it allowed them to catch it, and one of the men took it 
up in his arms ; but suddenly the dam also made her appearance, and the 
men dropping the young one made after her in hopes of killing her with 
their axes. This object was of course soon abandoned, as a few bounds 
took the animal out of sight, and to their mortification they found that the 
fawn had escaped also during their short absence, and although they made 
diligent search for it, could not again be seen. At times, even the full 
grown Caribou appears to take but little heed of man. — A person descend- 
ing a steep woody hill on a road towards a lake, saw several of them, 
which only turned aside far enough to let him pass, after which they came 
back to the road and proceeded at a slow pace up the hill. At another 
place a lad driving a cart was surprised to see five of these animals come 
into the road just before him, making a great noise through the woods. 
As soon as they got into the road they walked along quite leisurely, and 
on his cracking his whip only trotted a few paces and then resumed their 
walking. 
