MOOSE ALL "NICKOSHIN." 273 



back on the trail, through an open place, with the wind 

 at their back. They appeared to have walked back 

 on the trail to where they could see a man if he was 

 following them and smell him if he came up the other 

 way. This nose, which has been puzzling me so much, 

 appears to be made for the express purpose of smelling 

 everything in the country. Sometimes, however, the 

 moose gets * rattled ' and does not seem to know which 

 way to run. Sometimes they will stand until they 

 are shot at three or four times. How many calves 

 have you seen with one cow, Brown?" asked Dyche. 



" I have seen many old cows with two calves and 

 the Indians have told me that they have seen cows 

 with three calves. The young cows have one calf, 

 but the older and larger cows generally have two. 

 The calves are born about the time poplar trees have 

 leaves the size of squirrels' ears. There is one thing 

 that somewhat puzzles me," continued Brown, "and 

 that is, what becomes of the horns of the moose, 

 which are shed every year. Big bull moose have 

 horns like the tops of trees, yet I have found but few 

 horns that had been shed, and I have been all through 

 the woods during January and February, which is 

 the time they are shed." 



"Moose cover horns up," said Maypuck. "Moose 

 paw moss, dirt, sticks, and snow on horns." 



" Those same horns are mighty queer," said Brown. 

 " It seems to mo that no two sets are alike." 



" Well, you are about right there," replied the nat- 

 uralist. " Moose horns are very irregular. I have 

 eighteen sets and they would furnish material for a 

 small book on the subject." 



