The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18
With Spoon-Like
Horns and Big
Feet.
Enormous Bands OF
the Queer Brutes
on the Yukon
River.

'When I left Circle City early in
August, and from which have just now
arrived" said William Dalton. the Cali
fornia gold digger, yesterday. who ha;
been for three years mining on the Yukon
"large bands of cariboo were coming over
the mountains from the north and run.
ming south.
"In some of these bands there were as
many as from 5000 to 5000 cariboo at a
time. They were moving in immense
masses. I had frequently seen them be-
fore, for every fall and spring the cariboo
start on their regular pilgrimages. In the
spring they go north and in the fall they
move south again.
sIt is beautiful sight to see them. They
are huge animals, and when you get few
thousands of them together, the great
horns make them in the distance look like
moving forest.
"I have seen them make a path two
miles wide in the snow. ] was mining on
Hogham Greek, and when the cariboo be-
gan to cross the divide north of the camp
there were so many that it took between
three and four days for them to get over.
1.-THE cariboo usually string along very
leisurely, but as soon as the boys in camp
see them they begin to shoot, and then
the cariboo start to running. They don't
gallop-they trot, and they trot good
deal faster than horse.
Beyond the divide, and between the
Yukon and the Tanana River, is the
Tanana divide. and there at these two
seasons may also be seen large bands OF
cariboo. The cariboo come from every
direction, so that wherever you go you
see moving masses OF them.
"It was thus that they were pouring over
the hills when left. The Tanana is big
river, navigable for steamboats, for 500
miles, and everybody knows more or less
of the great size of the Yukon. There are
many other rivers besides the Tanana
which empty into the Yukon.
when the cariboo come to any of these
they simply plunge in and swim. Nothing
impedes them. However, when they have
their choice they keep up on the hills.
sIt is said that many of these cariboo
spend good part of the year among some
almost bare mountains north of the
Tanana. The crests of the mountains are
granite, and it is as smooth as the tiles in
q floor.
sThe cariboo there and elsewhere live
on tbs moss that grows in parts of these
mountains. They have spoonlike horn.
that is wide and fat, and with this they
scrape away the snow and get at the moss
1t acts as sort of shovel and answers
the purpose admirably.
THE cariboo have very big feet, which
spread out and keep them on top of the soft
snow. There is a big deerclaw on each
foot and this helps them, so that the foot
as whole spreads out like a fan.
I'm the fall the cariboo will dress from
300 to 400 pounds each, when full grown,
but in the spring they are so poor they
don't weigh more than half that much.
In the fall and winter the bulls and COWS
go in different communities, but always
kee ping near together.
II never expect to see more inspirins
sight than these cariboo as they move
back and forth In their migrations. 1t is
worth lot OF money, and when one has
seen it he will never forget it.
There are some moose there, but they
are by no means SO plentiful as the Carl
boo. / saw five once, but that was the
most ever saw at any one time. There
are no mountain sheep or goats there, SO
far as have observed. but down on the
Hoo Talinka you find both sheep and
goats."