84 THE ELK. 



The Elk, or Moose Deer. An inhabitant only of the 

 frozen and snowy regions, this immense animal, which 

 exceeds even the horse in stature, usually moves with an 

 awkward and inelegant gait. His speed is not so great 

 as the extreme length of his legs might lead one to sup- 

 pose ; and in winter-time, when the ground is covered 

 with snow, a man in snow-shoes is able to run him 

 down. During the summer, however, from the quickness 

 of his sense of hearing, and the greater swiftness with 

 which he is then able to move, it is by no means an easy 

 matter for any person to approach him. These animals 

 are pursued and killed chiefly on account of their flesh 

 and skins ; the former being used for food, and the latter, 

 which is so thick as to be capable of resisting a musket- 

 ball, being manufactured into a strong and very excellent 

 kind of buff leather. Their tongues, also, are much es- 

 teemed ; and their nose is said to eat like marrow. No 

 animals of the Deer tribe are more easily tamed than the 

 Elk ; and several successful attempts have been made to 

 introduce it into agricultural labours. Elks are found in 

 the north of Europe, America, and Asia. Some years 

 ago, a male and female were turned out in Blenheim Park, 

 near Woodstock. During the winter, they did not appear 

 at all to suffer from their change of climate ; but they fell 

 a sacrifice to the heat of the ensuing summer. 



The legs of the Elk are peculiarly long and slender. 

 The horns, which are found only on the males, are ex- 

 tremely large and broad, and have either very short 

 brow-antlers, or none. The neck is short, and on the 

 throat there is a tufted excrescence. The head and ears 

 are both long. The upper lip is very broad, deeply fur- 

 rowed, and hangs much over the mouth. The nostrils 

 are peculiarly large and wide. The general colour of the 

 male is a greyish kind of black, and that of the female 



