The caribou is the American reindeer. It has antlers, long and branching. As a species they may be grouped under two heads--the Woodland caribou (_Rangifer tarandus caribou_) and the barren ground caribou (_Rangifer tarandus articus_). Each of these two groups may be sub-divided several times. However, it is difficult to distinguish these sub-species. The chief characteristics are minor differences in the antlers, but even here great difficulties are encountered. The antlers are subject to thousands of variations, and as a result no two pairs ever are found exactly alike. It has been said that if ten pairs of adult antlers of each of the so-called nine species were mixed in one heap, it would be almost impossible for even an expert to separate them all correctly into their proper groups. Of the two great groups, the Woodland caribou roams through the pine and spruce forests and also the prairies of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Northern Maine, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. It is a large animal with strength enough to vanquish the strongest man in about one minute. Its shoulders are sharp and high, and its head is held low and thrust straight forward. The Woodland caribou of Maine has a body color of bluish brown and gray. In October, however, its new coat is of the color known as seal brown. Its antlers are short and have more than thirty points. As a whole the antlers have the appearance of a tree-top. The barren ground caribou is extremely like the average reindeer of Siberia and Lapland. It is a rather small animal with immense antlers. The center of their abundance to-day is midway between the eastern end of Great Slave Lake and the southeastern extremity of Great Bear Lake. The natural food of the caribou is moss and lichens. In captivity very few survive many months without a regular diet of moss. Full grown Woodland caribou consume about seven pounds of it daily. It is only necessary to watch a caribou walking to see in this animal the true born traveler. This is one of the most peculiar characteristics of the species. At stated periods in the spring and autumn they assemble in immense herds and migrate with the compactness and definiteness of purpose of an army of cavalry on the march. This is most noticeable on the Canadian Barren Grounds. The herd moves northward in spring and in the early winter moves southward. Several of these monster migrations have been witnessed. BASED ON MATERIAL DRAWN FROM “THE AMERICAN NATURAL HISTORY,” COPYRIGHT 1904, BY WILLIAM T. HORNADAY ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR. VOL. 4. No. 13. SERIAL No. 113 [Illustration: FROM A PAINTING BY CARL RUNGIUS COPYRIGHT 1906 BULL MOOSE] Game Animals of America BULL MOOSE Monograph Number Five in The Mentor Reading Course