THE DEER 



139 



and ridden as a horse, and the Tunguses use it as a pack 

 animal, traveHng with long trains loaded down with prod- 

 uce. The Koreki have herds of forty or fifty thousand. 

 The reindeer is milked by the Lapps, but submits very 

 ungraciously, often having to be tied head and feet. Even 

 then it butts the women over and drags them about. 



The moose (Fig. 117), a fine large deer, is found in 

 North America, Europe, and Asia. The most available 

 region in which to observe it is the northern part of Maine, 

 where large 

 specimens are 

 taken yearly. 

 The moose is 

 an animal of 

 remarkable ap- 

 pearance. Its 

 enormous head 

 and rounded 

 muzzle, its 

 huge flat horns, 



its humped back, and sloping body give it a personality 

 not easily forgotten when seen in the open or dashing 

 across country at a swinging trot. 



The moose is the giant of the deer family; its horns 

 alone weigh eighty pounds, and call to mind the pine 

 branches of the forests of its choice. It stands very high, 

 with long, muscular legs, so that it easily steps over a five- 

 foot wall. The horns are cast in December and appear 

 in April, attaining their full size in June. When the 

 " velvet " first peels off, they are a vivid white, and the 

 huge creature presents a weird and remarkable appear- 



FiG. 117. — The Moose. 



