Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-23
"HEN SANTA CLAUS guides his
wv team of RENDERS from stocking
to stocking on Christmas morn !

to stocking on Christmas morn
ing he has the satisfaction of
knowing that he is practically the only
man who ever succeeded in driving
these animals with good results. OF
course, this does not mean that they are
not driven.
From one end of the far northern
| country to the other they are the one ami
NAL that is depended upon to get over the
snow covered ground bu. as yet no one
has been able to fully master the art
of driving them. The L~aplanders. the
residents of northern Siberia and the
kamchatkans pride themselves upon
their ability to guide these animals from
place to place but those who have studied
this mode of conveyance are satisfied that
there is conSiderabl BILE room for improve
ment.
For instance the reindeer is driven
without reins. the teams being guided by
the shout of the driver. AS might be
imagined the deer do not work very har-
moniously and 1T is no uncommon thing
to have onc-half Of the team dodge
around one side of the tree and the other
half at the other side, allowing the sled
to bring up with a jerk exactly in the
middle of the obstruction. The native
drivers. however, do not mind a little
thing like that. They promptly olsen
tangle the sled and go on their journey,
hoping that no such unfortunate occur
renee will again detain them.
Although Americans as a rule have a
very indefinite idea as to what a reindeer
is there is little reason why there should
be any ignorance in regard to- the ma
ture of the animal. While the reindeer
comes fram the various parts of the world
where snow and ice prevail it is also
possible to find him on this continent.
Here, however, he is known as the carl
bou."
While there are certain specific differ
ences between the caribou and the rein
deer of Europe and northern Asia to any
but an expert these differences are slight
scarcely greater. in fact. than those
which may be observed between the carl
bou herds in various parts of this coun-
try, and what little difference there is is
decidedly in favor of the American ami
mails. Strange as the statement may
seem it is nevertheless a fact that even
the poorest of American caribou are SUI
perior to the best specimens of imported
reindeer.
The reindeer of America have been di-
vided into two great classes. There are
those that live in the woodland and there
are others that make the barren ground
their habitation. The caribou of the
eastern part Of the continent all belong
to the woodland classes. Those found in
Newfoundland are the finest in the world,
and there is no comparison between them
and the Siberian or Lapland animals
1t is a surprising fact. however. that
while the Newfoundland reindeer are re-
markable for their great size and beauty.
those of the neighboring provinces of
Nova Scotia are among the smallest on
the American continent. Their horns
are also less spreading and their coats are
darker in color thar those of the herds
in the island of the north. The reindeer
of Labrador differ slightly again from
either of the two just mentioned, and are
between the Nova Scotia and Newfound-
land animals in size.
Few deer cross the Strait of Belle Isle,
between Newfoundland and Labrador,
and thus the difference between the spe-
cies which live SO near together lie MAIN
tanned and perDetuated.
Another American species Of reindeer.
however. is that Of Alaska. Years ago
Ithese animals We're brought into this ter
ritory from Siberia but at that time the
idea was that they would provide an ex-
cellent food supply. 1t was only within
a comparatively short time that the idea
of making them a beast of burden occur
red to the authorities. Now, however,
the reindeer of Alaska are rapidly sup
planting the logs and their use as car
riers of mail and other articles that re-
quire immediate delivery have made them
very popular.
Pre-eminently they are the animals
adapted for the work of carrying in north
ern ATTITUDES. Travelling with dogs and
horses makes necessary the carrying Of
food for them but the reindeer, when
turned loose, fcrages for himself and
manages to obtain his living from the
moss and lichen, no matter how frozen
the ground may be. In fact this ability
of the animal to find food is a marvel to
the inexperienced.
The mick, deep caribou moss upon
which they live may be buried ever SO
deep under the snow but they will find
it. They will paw away the snow with
their %forefeet until they get down to the
lmoss beneath. Where a herd of these
Ideer have been feeding there will be
great bare patches of ground left and
they are even almost able to climb threes
lin their eagerness to obtain this nurri-
ltous moss. At times they wild stand on
their kinds legs and reach far upon the
trunk of the trees, craping off the moss
and lichen which grow on the wood with
their clever tforefeet.
Another advantage that the reindeer
has over other modes of conveyance mat
are possible in the extreme north is that
of speed. The reindeer can travel from
sixty to ninety miles a day without show
ing fatigue while it is extremely unusual
for a dog team to average more han
thirty miles in a day. Besides this they
are more to he depended upon and can
be trusted to go through from point to
point without breaking down.
AS has been said the use Of the rein
deer in Alaska is of comparatively recent
date. The success Of the experiment.
- III IT, o~k