174 HTJNTTXO ADVENTURES. 



duces the feeling of beauty. The head measuring abcre two feet 

 .n length, is narrow and clumsily shaped, by the swelling upon 

 the upper part of the nose and nostrils ; the eye is proportionably 

 small, and sunk ; the ears long, hairy, and asinine ; the neck and 

 Withers are surmounted by a heavy mane ; and the throat fur- 

 nished with long coarse hair, and, in younger specimens, encum- 

 bered with a pendulous gland : these give altogether an uncouth 

 character to this part of the animal. Its body, however, is round, 

 compact, and short ; the tail not more than four inches long ; and 

 the legs, though very long, are remark; bly clean and firm ; this 

 length of limb and the overhanging lips have caused the ancients 

 to fancy that it grazed walking backwards. The hair of the ani- 

 mal is coarse and angular, breaking if bent. Its movements are 

 rather heavy, and the shoulders being higher than the croup, it 

 dues not gallop, but shuffles or ambles along, its joints cracking at 

 every step, with a sound heard to some distance. Increasing its 

 speed, the hind-feet straddle to avoid treading on its fore-heels, 

 tossing the head and shoulders like a horse about to break from a 

 trot to a gallop, tt does not leap, but steps without effort over a 

 fallen tree, a gate, or a split fence. During its progress, it holds 

 the nose up, so as to lay the horns horizontally back. This atti 

 tude prevents its seeing the ground distinctly ; and as the weight 

 is carried very high upon the elevated legs, it is said sometimes 

 to trip by treading on its fore-heels, or otherwise, and occasionally 

 to give itself a heavy fall. It is probably owing to this occur- 

 rence that the elk was believed by the ancients to have frequent 

 attacks of epilepsy, and to be obliged to smell its hoof before it 

 could recover ; hence the Teutonic name of Elend (miserable j, 

 and the reputation, especially of the fore-hoofs, as a specific 

 ngainst the disease." (Smith.) 



Dr. Richardson gives the following succinct account of their 

 habits and food, and of the mode of hunting them. 



" In the more northern parts the moose-deer is quite a solitary 

 animal, more than one being very seldom seen at a time, unless 

 during the rutting season, or when the female is accompanied by 

 her fawns. It his the sense of hearing in very great perfection 



