ALIMENT. 



So much has been said in other phxces, of the food upon which 

 the various species of our deer subsist, that we need devote but 

 little space to this branch of our subject now. 



All the Cervida3 are strictly vegetarians ; generall}^, they con- 

 sume more arboreous food than most other ruminants, but none 

 depend upon it exclusively. The Moose alone habitually eats 

 the leaves and twigs of the conifers. In the winter, particu- 

 larly, they subsist largely upon these, and, indeed, they take 

 them at all seasons when met with. Mr. Morrill says, that this 

 is so much the case that their droppings emit a very pungent 

 odor, derived from their evergreen food, which, like musk, is very 

 agreeable to some people, while to others it is very offensive. 

 They consume largely, also, the leaves, twigs, and bark of the 

 deciduous trees, to obtain which they bend down large saplings ; 

 and in their winter yards they denude the large trees of their 

 bark as high up as they can reach. To do this they place the 

 extremity of the upper jaw, which is furnished with a sort of 

 pad, against the tree, and scrape upwards with their powerful 

 incisors, tearing off the thick, rough bark with astonishing force 

 and facility. But they partake of herbaceous food as well, 

 though they cannot conveniently graze like other ruminants, but 

 they can crop the ends of long grass, which is often found in the 

 marshy grounds which they frequent in the summer time. At 

 this season, also, they depend largely on aquatic vegetation, found 

 in lakes and rivers. The long grasses and lily pads, which grow 

 along the borders of the lakes, are favorite articles of food for 

 the Moose, which they readily reach by wading into the water ; 

 and after the appetite is satisfied they submerge themselves all 

 but a part of the head in the deeper water to escape the flies and 

 mosquitoes. 



The Wapiti Deer selects his food from the trees and shrubs, 

 the grasses and the weeds, though he is not so fond of the latter 

 as some of the others. Like several of the other species he pre- 

 fers the bitter and the astringent, like the hickory and the oak, 

 to the hazel and the maple. He may be often seen standing 

 erect on his hind feet, stretching his neck to the utmost to get a 

 bunch of leaves nearly beyond his reach. In the winter, he 



