THE MOOSE. — ALIMENT. — THE CHASE. 73 



perseverance and hardy endurance to insure success in hunting 

 them. But they are noble game, and worthy the ambition of the 

 true sportsman. They have probably entirely ceased their visits 

 to Newfoundland ; but in Labrador many still remain, though 

 gradually retreating thence towards the more secluded and inac- 

 cessible portions of the country. From Upper Canada all are 

 gone, and but very few remain in Lower Canada, where, fifty 

 years since, they were quite abundant. What are left have re- 

 treated to the great, dense forests of the north. 



ALIMENT. 



Their principal food is arboreous, though they take for variety 

 some of the grasses and mosses freely ; and, when necessity de- 

 mands, will live on almost any sort of vegetation found in their 

 range. Li winter, when all herbaceous vegetation is deeply 

 buried in the snow, they depend entirely on the trees and 

 shrubs. 



Their favorite haunts, especially in summer, are in the neigh- 

 borhood of rivers, lakes, and marshy or swampy grounds, where 

 the grasses which flourish are long and coarse. In winter, they 

 are more inclined to resort to higher ground, but generally where 

 dense forests and almost impenetrable thickets prevail. Their 

 long legs, and short, thick necks, incapacitate them to gather the 

 low grasses upon which most other vegetarian quadrupeds may 

 freely feed, so that they can only conveniently feed upon the 

 upper portions of the taller grasses. The deep snow in the 

 regions in which they live conceals them in winter, when they 

 are obliged to depend on the forests for sustenance. This neces- 

 sity, of itself, is sufficient to form habits and tastes inclining them 

 to this class of food. So it is that we generally find the habits 

 of animals spring from constraint or necessity, which conforms 

 them physically to the conditions in which they live. 



Exceptionally, among ruminants, the Moose feeds upon ever- 

 greens, as well as upon deciduous trees and shrubs. 



t 



THE CHASE. 



Even before the introduction of firearms among them the abo- 

 rigines were successful in their capture, and even depended 

 largely upon the flesh of the Moose for their support. To accom- 

 plish this, great ingenuity and perseverance were often exercised, 

 while at other times, as in the water or on the crusted snow, it 

 was not a difficult undertaking, and even now these conditions 

 render them an easy prey to the hunter. 



