THE ELK IN NORWAY. 145 
boughs, and moss, and pays daily visits to his larder 
till there is none of it left. 
“Should the elk, however, discover the approach 
of its adversary, instead of seeking to save itself by 
flight it prepares for the battle. ear is probably 
the cause of this, and not pugnacity. With its long 
lees it is capable of lashing out tremendous blows, 
which require all the activity and dodging Bruin 
is capable of to avoid. It not unfrequently happens 
that the bear gets such a ‘oner’ over the ear as 
to make him cry ‘ peccavi, and to ‘ ficher le camp;’ for 
at the best Bruin in Norway is a cowardly beast. I 
have been credibly informed that a herd of cows, in 
a part of Setersdal, gave a bear which had approached 
their pasture ground on the mountains such a tre- 
mendous drubbing, charging at him simultaneously on 
all sides with their horns, as to make him change his 
offensive intentions, and execute a ‘strategic move- 
ment’ on the shortest possible notice. But should it 
happen that the bear is able to avoid the deadly kicks 
and get alongside his prey, he deals the poor elk such a 
tremendous blow on the head with his powerful fore- 
arm, as to knock him out of time altogether. Some- 
times he will even spring on his back, when the 
affrighted animal at once dashes off, wondering who the 
is on his back, through the midst of the forest, to 
the great discomfiture of the rider, who slips igno- 
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