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166 CARIBOU

there they lay as fine a pair of specimens as a man could
hope for after years of hunting. The smaller of the two
heads was quite up to what would be termed a fine one:
it had a beam length of 58 inches and 34 points. The
big one was indeed a prize; for spread it beat one of
55 inches, which, as far as any records I have go, was the
widest hitherto, going just 58 inches extreme spread and
56} inches tip to tip; it had also a beam length of 534
inches, had double ploughs, and somewhere about 44
points. So, after all, the Colonel’s luck had not gone as
it seemed to have done at one time.

It may also be added that fortune still favoured him in
his moose-hunting, as the first day he tried for this class
of game he had the choice of two fine bulls within an hour
or so of leaving camp. The one he killed was the best of
the season in that district, and measured just 60 inches
spread, with broad palms and heavy brows. But I must
now leave the Colonel and tell you more about the habits
of caribou.

The ‘‘ rutting’? season for caribou commences some-
where about the same time as that of moose, perhaps a little
later; that is, the second or third week in September.
The bulls fight to some extent, but they never work
themselves up into the state of frenzy that moose or
even wapiti do, and any fights that have come under my
notice have been somewhat tame affairs. Once or twice
they may make a savage smash at one another, but often
there is more threatening, with perhaps a little pushing,
than real hard blows, and then one or the other will
back off. Occasionally they must fight more viciously,
as now and again you are apt to come across a bull
that has had his hide pierced by horn points and also
bad bruises; but such a thing as caribou getting their
horns locked never seems to occur, which should happen
occasionally if they often put their whole strength into
the contest.

The bulls collect cows somewhat after the fashion that
sheep do, but they do not drive them off by themselves,
and there are generally other bulls hanging round the