Moose Deer, — AIccs Americana. 63" 



Tlie following interesting account of the habits of tbis^ famous deer ia 

 from Mr. James E. Powell, a hunter in Maine, and was read before the- 

 Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, in June last : — 



" Id regard to the moose, I speak of it only as I am acquainted with 

 it in this State (Maine), other latitudes causing some slight variation in its^ 

 habits. 



" When the snows have left the ground entirely bare, which, in the' 

 favorite haunts of the moose, happens about the middle of May, they leaver 

 their winter haunts and approach the marshes, ponds and rivers, where they 

 come to search for their summer food, consisting of all the various aquatic^ 

 plants which flourish in this region. Their favorite food, however, is the- 

 water lily and rush, in all their varieties, and at this season they crop them 

 as soon as they appear, close to the bottom, frequently holding their heada 

 under water a minute or eighty seconds, and often wading, m water so deep, 

 that when they put their heads down under the surface, to obtain the small" 

 lily leaves or to dig up th^ root of the plant (which they often eat at thia 

 season), before the leaves are plentiful, only a portion of the back is visible. 

 About this time the females go apart, seeking the most impenetrable thickets' 

 that border on or near water, and there bi-ing forth their young ; those of 

 three years old and upwards almost invariably producing two. Still I have 

 occasionally, but very rarely, seen and known three at a birth. Those of 

 two years old never produce more than wie. They shed their coats of long,, 

 rough hair, too, at this period, and are soon covered with short, smooth, fine- 

 ' hair, of a dark brown color,, which, however, soon becomes a jetty, glossy- 

 black on the sides and back, and grey on the legs (with the exception of one- 

 variety of the animal, which is of a grey colour, and which is now very 

 scarce here. As the season advances, the moose frequent the water still 

 more, and remain in it longer at a time. In May, or early in June, the/ 

 eeldom stay in it more than half an hour at once, but in July and August 

 they sometimes remain in the water several hours, and also frequent the 

 waters very much during the night, especially in hot, dry, sultry weather, or 

 thunder storms, which they seem particularly to delight in, swimming back 

 and forth, apparently in a high state of enjoyment. During these visits to 

 the water, the female secretes her young with great care, to protect them 

 from the ferocity of the old males that would destroy themi. For this 

 purpose they commonly select a very dense clump of large bushes, or a 

 spruce or fir thicket, which, from its density, prevents the male from reach- 

 ing them, on account of his horns, which generally sprout in April. They 

 grow rapidly, and are very tender and easily hurt at this time. By Septem- 

 ber the horns are out of the velvet, and have acquired hardness, and towarda 

 the close of this month the moose leaves the water for two or three weclai 

 and resort to the mountains. At this period the males are frequently very 

 fat, (I have killed them with nearly three inches in thickness of fat on the 

 rump,) and are often very fierce and savage, sometimes even attacking the 

 iiunter, but in the course of a few weeks they become thin and poor, in con- 

 fpequeuce of their coutinual roaming and their many combats. They also 



