Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-10-18
THE WILD CARIsOH.
low This Noble Animal AmuseS
Himself and Ills Mates.

HOW TINS NoDIe Animal muses.
Himself and Ills Mates.
1t Is as fond of the ice as school.
boy, and fully as ready for frolic SAYS
Harper's Magazine. After the ice has
formed In November. il is socn follow
ed first by SHOWS and then BY thaws
or rain. The latter cotiverts tho snow
into slush. resting on the firm ice be.
meath. Now any sensible creature
would keep away from such mess.
But not so with the caribou. for to It
this makes the very gala time of the
year. The herd 60 out upon the leo
in single file then scatter and each one
falls to paving up the slush with his
forefeet After thoy have tired of til
performance. they fall upon their
knees, and seem TO lap tho leo, with
their tongues. Why they do this is. as
far as the writer has been able 10 learn,
mystery. 1t certa My is not from
thirst, since they have crossed q dozen
open brooks in their morning ramble
perhaps to use one of the slang express
sions so happily indefinite in leaving
nbridled Liberty of detail to the imay-
ination of the hoarer, "they do it for
granduer. This is the most simple,
and indeed at times is seems the only,
explanation of many of the vagarios of
this most singular creature After
awhile one will suspend operations,
seem to think things over generally,
then go gravcly over to where another
has mined down to piece of ice of
extra flavor. and prod and poke it with
the utmost yISor. The assaulted
party rises to its feet. and
meekly resigns lis place TO the
intruded, which Immediately drops
upon his knees and continues the OBJ
erat'ons of its predecessor. while the
ousted either passes along the compli.
ment by routing out another. or pro-
ceeds TO dig n new spot for itself
Then perhaps all will lie down for
awhile. and. though one would think
the bed about as congenial rs the in-
side Of an ice-cream freezer, chew the
cud in apparently the acme of bovine
comfort Next one will slowly rise to
its feet. round up its back. and stretch
ITSELF survey its comrades to select tho
the one VIII CHI seems most comfortable,
and then. actiated by that perversity
of disposition we so often see and nm
athematlze in the human early riser,
proceed to stir it up with hoof and
horn, until it. too, gets upon It's legs
and joins in the gamo. Soon all are
on their feet, and falling N one be-
md the other move for the woods |
in single file, headed by the leader
alwa bull. though not invariably |
the largest IN the herd. TheI move
Oft at walk, their heads hanging
down precisely like COWS driven TO
pasture. Suddenly one will become !
possessed of II devil, and breaking
from the ranks with Il hop. skip and
jump. charge through the line again
and again, until it is thrown into com.
plete disorder. Then it will as su lden-
Iy fall into place. as dcmure as Il cat,
'a ing rs distinctly rs an attitude can
speak: ''What! you do not mean to
charge this untimely disturbance to
me. do ,ou?" The march is then re.
'umed. and all may disappear at the
meekest kind of walk in the
ng forest; or. without the
apparent cause, the herd will
break into run at a pace so keen YOU
as they cleave n passage through the
,ir. This burst of speed ma, last for
hundred yards; It may be kept up
through thick and thin for five m les;
The one is about as likely as the other.