ELK 



565 



E L K 



Eli. 



Blichrysum building, and it promises to be a great ornament, as 



well as benefit to the town and neighbourhood. 

 ^ The situation of Elgin seems to have been chosen 

 without any regard to the advantages of trade or com- 

 merce, being seven miles from the nearest sea-port ; but 

 rather for security and subsistence. It stands in the 

 middle of a rich and fertile country, from which sup- 

 plies could at all times have been easily drawn. The 

 morass of Strathcant formed its defence on die south ; 

 its own castle on the west ; and on the north and east 

 winds the river Lassie, over which are five stone bridges 

 of two arches, within the .short extent of two miles. The 

 trade of the town arises entirely from the supply demand- 

 ed by the surrounding district, and its only manufac- 

 tures are those which are necessary for domesticpurposcs. 

 The council of the burgh consists of 17 members, an- 

 nually elected by themselves, resident burgesses only 

 being eligible; and their revenue is about 200 a year. 

 In 1811, the town and parish contained 1258 families, 

 and 4602 souls. See Pennant's Tour in Scotland ; and 

 An Account of the Antiquities, $c. in the Province of 

 Moray, pp. l6 24. (/>) 



ELICHKYSUM, a genus of plants of the class Syn- 

 genesia, und order Polygamia Superflua. See BOTANY, 



p. 299- 



ELIZABETH. See ENGLAND, vol. viii. p. 660 



66*. 



ELK. This is one of the larger animals inhabiting 

 the globe, belonging to the genus Cervus, and order 

 I'ecora of Linnseus. The history of the elk is involved 

 in considerable confusion, from which we shall find it 

 difficult to lay down its specific characters, as those who 

 have had the most favourable opportunities for observa- 

 tion are scarcely agreed concerning them. 



This animal dwells in the north- eastern parts of 

 Europe, in Asia, and North America, chiefly frequent- 

 ing the colder climates. In the latter country it is cal- 

 led the moose deer, or wampoose by the natives. It is 

 said to consist of two kinds, the real elk or moose deer, 

 which is larger than the tallest horse, and has been 

 seen eight or ten feet high, of a dark grey colour, some- 

 times black, but much paler on the legs and beneath 

 the tail ; the hair is long and coarse, ten or twelve inches 

 in length on the ridge of the back, and forming a kind 

 of mane on the upper part of the neck. There is a sort 

 of carbuncle or excvrscence j>endent from the throat of 

 some ; Imt it is not ascertained whether this is a general 

 characteristic of the animal, or belongs only to the 

 male. The tail is short, the eyes and ears are large and 

 erect, and the hoofs broad. But the elk is chiefly dis- 

 tinguished by two wide spreading palmated horns of 

 great size, proceeding from the forehead, between two 

 and three feet long, or even between four and five in 

 those of the greatest size ; and thty have undoubtedly 

 been seen in recent instances, though not so large, yet 

 of such dimensions as to enable us to admit the proba- 

 bility of the fact. The other species is said to be smaller, 

 and of a light grey colour, to herd in flocks of 20 or 30, 

 and to bear more resemblance to the fallow deer; whereas 

 the moose is either solitary, or not to be found with above 

 four or five in company. The motion of the elk is un- 

 like that of the deer ; it does not spring on being sur- 

 prised, it advances with a shambling gait, while the 

 hoofs make a loud clattering, and runs with great speed. 

 Its food is the herbage of the ground or the foliage of 

 young trees. It dwells on hills or in woody countries, 

 xmietimcs during open pastures in summer, and re- 

 treating to thickeU and the banks of lakes or rivers in 

 winter. From the shortness of its neck and length of 

 the legs, declivities we principally frequented,, for the 



ease of reaching the ground. In whiter, it prefers Klk. 

 willows and some aquatic plants. These animals breed S " 

 about the month of April, and generally produce two 

 at a time. The males are said to cast their horns an- 

 nually in November, and to renew them in spring : the 

 females have none, and are besides very different from 

 the males, in being much inferior in size, of a brownish 

 sandy colour, the hair white at the root, and nearly so 

 in some parts of the surface. 



The elk is of a quiet, tractable, and docile nature. 

 In its wild state it is harmless and inoffensive, and it 

 is very easily tamed. When pursued, in crossing rivers 

 and lakes it makes no resistance, and boys or women 

 iv.n then destroy it. Mr Hearne relates, that he re- 

 peatedly saw many as tame as sheep at the settlement 

 in Hudson's bay, and that they would follow their 

 keepers, or come to meet them, in the same manner as 

 the most domestic animal would have done. At New 

 York they have been broke to harness, and apparently 

 not without success. The disposition of the animal 

 renders it particularly favourable for such experiment^ 

 and it is not unlikely that it might be naturalized anil 

 domesticated in this island. 



Of late years a description has been given by Dr 

 Smith of an animal of this genus, which he characterises 

 as the real and genuine elk, and he deduces its charac- 

 teristics from four individuals, which were exhibited to 

 him in America. The colour, he observes, is reddish 

 in spring ; it then changes to greyish dun, after- 

 wards to grey in autumn, and continues so during win- 

 ter. The rump for six or 'seven inches from the tail is 

 pale yellow, and separated by a blackish semicircular 

 line from the rest of the body. The fore part of the 

 legs and the nose are black, as also the under lip on each 

 side. A mane about six inches longer than the hair of the 

 rest of the body, and a beard on the throat and breast, 

 are seen on the male in winter. He is provided with 

 horns, which, according to Dr Smith, are not palmated. 

 but consist of three principal divisions, and are cast, all 

 except a pith or core, several inches long, in May. In 

 about eight weeks they begin to grow, and according 

 to the age of the animal a prong successively vegetateo 

 from the inside of each alternately. Under the lower 

 angle of each eye is a large external oblique slit, nearly 

 an inch in length, by means of which a whistling noise 

 is produced. Two of the animals were males, and two 

 females ; the former had a small vesicle on the external 

 part of each hind leg, containing an unctuous matter, 

 which they am open and anoint the sprouting horns : 

 this was done regularly at four in the morning and at 

 ten at night. These creatures ate ordinary vegetables, 

 and readily received tobacco ; but as all were domesti- 

 cated, no inferences could be drawn with regard to their 

 food. At the same time it is said, that in the natural state 

 they feed on the wild plant. All being young, at least 

 not full grown, the extreme limits of their size could 

 not be ascertained ; a male, two years old, was 7 feet 3 

 inches in length ; a female, three years old, 7 feet 9 

 inches long, and 4 feet 7 inches in height ; the ear nine 

 inches long, the tail only three. The whole were taken 

 in Upper Canada. 



From the preceding description, it appears there is a 

 sensible difference between the real elk of naturalists 

 and those of Dr Smith. The Cervus Pygargus of Pal- 

 las, which dwells in Russia, beyond the Volga, seems 

 to bear some resemblance to the latter, in having the 

 muzzle and upper lip black ; the tail is only a cutane- 

 ous elongation, and the horns are trifurcated. But in 

 other places he speaks of the elk in contradistinction to 

 this animal. 



