counts. By comparison of the composition counts with the assumed 
herd composition, it seems likely that approximately ten per cent 
of the herd was not counted (See Table 1 and 2). Adding the ten 
per cent missed to the total animals counted, gives a rounded pop- 
ulation figure of 1,350. This represents an average yearly rate 
of increase of 34 per cent since their release in 1944, Actually, 
it is probable that the rate of increase was higher than this dur- 
ing the first few years, due to the large proportion of producing 
females in the initial stock and the absence of non-producing young 
stock. Among reindeer, yearling cows breed and have fawns when they 
are two years old, while caribou are a year later in this respect. 
Also, female reindeer on good range frequently are bred in their 
first year and have their first fawns when they are one year old 
(Chase, letter, 1957). As sex and age ratios adjusted to more nat- 
ural conditions, the rate of increase quite likely stabilized at a 
lower figure. The assumed population growth of the herd in the 
thirteen years since the original stocking is depicted graphically 
by the growth curves in Figure 2. Rausch's minimum estimate of 
400 to 500 reindeer in 1954 and Rhode's estimate of 700 to 800 in 
1955, add credence to the assumption of the herd's rate of growth. 
Scandinavian figures quoted by Hadwen and Palmer (1922) show aver- 
age herd increase for managed reindeer herdsto be about 25 per cent. 
The growth of the reindeer industry in Alaska in the twenty year. 
period from 1902 to 1921 showed an annual net increase of 27 per 
cent, or an annual gross increase of 335.3 per cent, if total harvest- 
ed animals are considered (Hadwen and Palmer, 1922). The reindeer 
herd on St. Paul Island, also in the Bering Sea, showed an average 
annual rate of increase of 19 per cent during its build-up period, 
however, when examined on a yearly basis, this rate fluctuated 
widely from negative values in two years to as much as 42 per cent 
four years before the peak was reached (Scheffer, 1951). 
Sex and age composition counts were made whenever the opportun- 
ity for close observations of reindeer existed. Binoculars and a 
20-30 power spotting scope were used to aid in the differentiation 
of sex and age groups. Segregation of fawns from adults was pos- 
sible for 910 animals. Yearling segregation, which was more diffi- 
cult and required closer observation, was obtained for 218 reindeer. 
Three hundred large bulls were tallied out of the total count of 
1,226. During the period of the study the cows and young stock, 
which composed the main body of the herd, remained in the area north- 
west of the Cape Upright flats and southeast of peak 940 (Fig. 1), 
while the large bulls were scattered over the northwest and south- 
east extremities of the island. A summarization of the composition 
counts is shown in Table 1 and the assumed herd composition is shown 
in Table 2. 
The fawn ratio of 26 per cent of the total adults, while indica- 
tive of a continuing population increase, is nevertheless, below the 
indicated level of previous years. This may mean that the herd has 
already exceeded the point of inflection on the sigmoid growth curve 
