346 UNGULATA. 



sometimes become interlocked, when the combatants die 

 of starvation. 



The pace of the Moose is not extremely fast ; its trot 

 is, however, a long, swinging stride, with which it pro- 

 ceeds at a good speed. It was formerly used in sledges 

 in Sweden, but as so many convicts escaped by this 

 means, its use is now prohibited. 



Like other large game, its numbers have decreased of 

 late years. It is protected in parts of Sweden and 

 Eussia, and by a recent Act of the Ontario Legislature, 

 the shooting of this animal is prohibited in that province 

 until 1895, as it had almost become extinct there. In 

 America generally, it appears to prolong its existence by 

 its extremely acute sense of smell, and by its ability of 

 keeping some time under water, rendering it difficult to 

 capture except in the rutting season, when its combative- 

 ness overcomes its prudence. It is attracted by the 

 Birch-bark call of the Indian hunter, who imitates the 

 note of the cow Elk, and is thus enabled to approach the 

 quarry. In Alaska and Nova Scotia it is sometimes 

 killed in the water by the Indians. In Eussia, it is 

 hunted by the sportsmen approaching in semi-circles, 

 who thus strike the track at intervals, whilst keeping to 

 the windward of the chase. In Norway, a dog is used to 

 track the Elk, but it is led in a leash. In Sweden, Elk 

 are driven and hunted in battues, or stalked with dogs 

 at liberty. On September 5, 1885, the forest of Hune- 

 berg (14,000 acres) was shot over by the King and Crown 

 Prince of Sweden, the Prince of Wales, and others. 

 The Elk had been preserved there for over thirty-five 

 years, and had increased to over 100 head. Fifty-one 

 Elks were shot on that occasion. On September 14, 

 1888, this forest was again shot over by the King and 

 Crown Prince of Sweden, and the Prince of Monaco, and 



