360 A JOURNEY TO THE 
1772. ed in oil, they always grow hard after being wet, | 
i~— unlefs great care be taken to keep rubbing them 
Janey all the time they are drying. The fame may be’ | 
faid of all the Indian-dreffed leather, except that | 
of the wewafkifh, which will wath as well as | 
fhammoy-leather, and always preferve its foftnefs. | 
The female moofe never have any horns, but the” 
males have them of a prodigious fize and weight, 
and very different in fhape from thofe of the- 
common deer. The extremity of each horn is 
palmated to the fize of a common fhovel, from 
which a few fhort branches fhoot out; and the: 
fhaft of the horn is frequently as large as a com-', 
mon man’s wrift. They fhed them annually like | 
the common deer. The horns of the moofe are 
frequently found to exceed fixty pounds weight; | 
and their texture, though of a large fize and of | 
fuch rapid growth, is much harder than any other 
{pecies of deer-horns in thofe parts. | 
Though the flefh of the moofe is efteemed by | 
moft Indians both for its flavour and fubftance, | 
yet the Northern Indians of my crew did not | 
reckon either it or the flefh of the buffalo fub- | 
ftantial food. ‘Vhis I fhould think entirely proe | 
ceeded from prejudice, efpecially with refpect to | 
the moofe; but the flefh of the buffalo, though fo | 
fine to the eye, and pleafing to the tafte, is fo | 
light and eafy of digeftion, as not to be deemed | 
fubfiantial food by any Indian in this country, 
either Northern or Southern. The moofe have | 
from one to three young at a time, and generally 
bring 
