MOOSE. 233 



somewhat degenerated. The photograplis of the Alaskan moose shown herewith 

 have this double palmation. 



All the members of the genus Alecs are distinctly ancient forms, in the same 

 sense that the rhinoceros, the giraffe and the camel are remnants of long past eras. 

 No one who has ever seen the moose, living or dead in his native forest, can fail to 

 appreciate this fact. 



Several heads from the Kenai peninsula ranging over six feet are authentic ; a 

 photograph of the largest known moose head in the world is published herewith. 

 This head is in the possession of the Field Columbian Museum at Chicago, and 

 measures 78^ inches spread. The animal that bore it stood about seven feet at 

 the shoulders, but this height is not infrequently equaled by Eastern moose. The 

 weight of the dried skull and antlers was ninety-three pounds, the palmations being 

 in places two and one-eighth inches thick. 



There are several large heads in the possession of American taxidermists, which, 

 if properly authenticated, would prove of interest. No head, however, is of much 

 value as a record, unless its history is well known, and unless it has been in the 

 hands of responsible persons. The measurements of antler spread can be con- 

 sidered authentic only when the skull is intact. If the skull is split an almost imper- 

 ceptible paring of the skull bones at the joints would sufifice to drop the antlers 

 either laterally out of their proper plane, or else pitch the main beam backward. 

 By either of these devices a couple of inches can be gained on each side, making a 

 difference of several inches in the aggregate. But the possession of an unbroken 

 skull is by no means a guarantee of the exact size of the head when killed. Since 

 large antlers of any species of deer command a price among those who desire to 

 pose as sportsmen, and have not the strength or skill to hunt themselves, it has 

 become a regular business for dealers to buy up unusual heads. The temptation to 

 tamper with such a head and increase its size is very great, and the head passing 

 through iha hands of such dealers must be discarded as of much scientific value. A 

 favorite device is to take a green head, force the antlers apart with a board and a 

 wedge every few days during the winter. By spring the skull and antlers are dry 

 and the plank can be removed. The spread of antlers has meantime gained several 

 inches since the death of the animal that bore them. Such a device is almost 

 beyond detection. 



It is an exceedingly difficult matter to formulate a code of hunting ethics, still 

 harder to give them legal force; but public opinion should condemn the kind of 

 sportsmanship which puts a price on antlers. As trophies of the chase, hard won 

 through the endurance and skill of the hunter, they are legitimate records of 



