. The Canadian field-naturalist. February, 1925] The Canadian Field-Naturalist 33 r. Figure 7.—THE EDGE OF THE WOODS, LAKE MacKAY Wherever the edge of the forest was observed, it was found the last stragglers occurred in the valleys of rough, broken country, proving that the factor of "shelter" is a very important one. some time in February and work their way north- ward, travelling in large bands, with the objective of reaching the Arctic coast for the calving season in June. They follow routes that take advantage of lake crossings that may be made on the ice, thereby avoiding rough
. The Canadian field-naturalist. February, 1925] The Canadian Field-Naturalist 33 r. Figure 7.—THE EDGE OF THE WOODS, LAKE MacKAY Wherever the edge of the forest was observed, it was found the last stragglers occurred in the valleys of rough, broken country, proving that the factor of "shelter" is a very important one. some time in February and work their way north- ward, travelling in large bands, with the objective of reaching the Arctic coast for the calving season in June. They follow routes that take advantage of lake crossings that may be made on the ice, thereby avoiding rough country. Another very important consideration determining their travel at this season of the year is that their food is almost entirely the lichens which grow on the hills. The winter and spring trails will usually be found to be more direct, and, though they are deeply worn, the moss is not usually broken, as they are travelled at a time when the frost is still in the ground. The bulls do not leave the woods till much later, and travel northward more slowly, following the retreating snow. As the season advances, they lose their herding instinct and scatter widely throughout the Barren Lands. Their horns are discarded in December, and their life in the spring and summer is a leisurely one, as they search for the best supply of food—moss, grass and later the leaves of the small willows and the scrub black birch. The fly season in the Barren Lands in- cludes late June, July and early August and, in order to aN^oid this torment, the caribou have only one resource—to travel against the wind. Their gait is a swift trot and their feeding at this time consists of a series of snatches. This swift travel and the varying winds of summer account partly for the wide and erratic travel of the sum- mer season. It is probable that very few of the old bulls reach the Arctic coast. The heavy storms of early August start the southerly migration of the cows, the yearlings and the young. Th
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