The Moose 305 



to the camp to be killed, like their cousins in 

 Lower Canada and Maine. 



Moose yard not from preference but from ne- 

 cessity. Their favorite winter range is in sparsely 

 timbered countries, in the hills abounding in wil- 

 lows and alders. In Lower Canada and in Maine 

 the snowfall is often very deep, and when the 

 winds drive it drifting into the open or partially 

 timbered ridges, piling it deep among the willows 

 where these animals like to feed, they seek timber 

 where the snow, unaffected by the wind, remains 

 at uniform level. Experience has taught them 

 where to find food at such times, and they hunt 

 the poplar or aspen groves and remain there 

 indefinitely, living upon the bark they gnaw from 

 the trees. Contrary to general impression, the 

 snow does not pile up so deeply in the North, 

 and consequently the animals remain in their 

 favorite feeding-grounds in the hills until the 

 snow, either from the winds or the warmth of a 

 coming spring sun, takes on a crust which will 

 bear the wolf — the only enemy of moose beside 

 man. When the snow is soft the wolf never 

 troubles the moose, for well it knows this big 

 deer is more than a match under such conditions; 

 but when the wolf can run on top of the snow, the 

 moose is at his mercy ; a band of them will bring 

 down the most powerful bull. Unlike the cari- 

 bou the moose is a heavy animal with small feet 



