MOOSE. 



227 



most appropriate, since the animal is pre-eminently a creature of the thick woods. 

 The Old World term elk was applied by the English settlers, probably in Virginia, 

 to the wapiti deer, an animal very closely related to the red deer of Europe. In 

 Canada one sometimes hears the moose spoken of as the elk, and even in the Rocky 

 Mountain region one sometimes hears of the "flat-horned elk." We are fortunate 

 in possessing a native name for this animal and it can only create confusion to call 

 it by any other name than moose. 



Until recent years it was the misfortune of Americans to have only foreign-made 

 literature on zoology, and much confusion has resulted in the names of our common 

 animals. A safe rule to follow would be, in my opinion, to use native names, such 

 as moose or caribou, when available, but to respect well-established usage in regard 

 to the names of other animals. In literature designed for more than local use the 

 name wapiti or American elk should be used : but in ordinary use in the United 

 States or Canada the word elk must suffice for the animal. 



One of the results of this confusion of names would be ludicrous were not the 

 results so serious. The Order of Elks is by origin an European society, and the 

 "elk" referred to, of course, was the European form of the moose. In this country, 

 however, the name was supposed to relate to the wapiti deer, and the canine tooth 

 or tusk on the upper jaw of the wapiti has consequently become the emblem of the 

 order and used as a watch charm or cuff stud. No member of the genus Alces has 

 any canine teeth, this feature being confined to the genus Cerviis and some closely 

 related genera. The possession of these tusks has been a great misfortune to the 

 wapiti, and thousands of them have been killed in the last few years solely for these 

 teeth. To butcher so fine an animal merely for two teeth is a crime worse than 

 killing him for his hide, and the Order of Elks has much to answer for. I am glad 

 to say, however, that, at a recent convention, action was taken to abolish the use of 

 elk tusks as emblems. It is not often that giving an animal a wrong name has fatal 

 results; but the unfortunate wapiti and his teeth have suffered in consequence of 

 this error in nomenclature. 



The range of the moose in North America is of enormous extent, from Nova 

 Scotia in the extreme east, throughout Canada and portions of the northern United 

 States, to the limits of tree growth in the west and north of Alaska. Throughout 

 this vast e.xtent of territory but two species are recognized, the common moose, 

 Alces aiiicricanuSy and the Alaska moose. Alecs gigas, of the Kenai peninsula; but 

 it is probable that further exploration will bring to light another species near the 

 headwaters of the Liard River and the Cassiar Mountains of British Columbia ; and, 

 still another farther north in the neighborhood of the Colville River. 



