The Schweder boys spoke of Arctic Hares (_Lepus arcticus andersoni_)
being in the habit of eating the stomach contents of Caribou after the
animals have been dressed in the field. This represents merely harmless
utilization of a normally waste product, although it serves some of the
natives as _nerrooks_ or “Eskimo salad” (_cf._ Richardson, 1829: 245).
Wolverines, Mink, Weasels, and Lemmings help to consume unprotected
caribou bodies. (In the Old World the Wolverine is regarded as a serious
enemy of live Reindeer [Jacobi, 1931: 243; Harper, 1945: 473].)
_References._--Pike, 1917 (1892): 56-58; Seton, 1911: 252, 1929,
+2+: 413, 424, 443, and 1929, +3+: 108; Harper, 1932: 23;
Ingstad, 1933: 157-159; Freuchen, 1935: 93, 99; Hoffman, 1949:
12; Banfield, 1951a: 36, 41; Harper, 1953: 40, 41.
_Relations to flies_
Flies of various kinds perhaps cause more wide-spread, year-round misery
to the Caribou than all other pests and enemies combined. It is safe to
say that not a single individual in the whole population escapes their
attacks, and some even succumb to mosquitoes (Gavin, 1945: 228). The
various biting and parasitic flies have already been discussed to some
extent in the section on _Influence of insects on distribution_.
Harassment by these pests is believed to be the leading cause of the
haste with which the Caribou are frequently seen passing over the
Barrens in summer. Downes (1943: 204) has commented on the habit of
Chipewyan hunters in the Nueltin Lake region of examining the legs of
Caribou for swellings caused by mosquito bites. In a buck secured on
August 17 the legs exhibited numerous little bumps of this sort;
furthermore, black flies covered the buck’s body, while scarcely
troubling those of us who were preparing the specimen. Fortunately the
suffering from mosquitoes and black flies on the Barrens is largely
limited to the months of July and August.
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