THE MOOSE. 241 



their horns, and paw big holes in soft ground ; 

 and when two rivals come together at this 

 season they fight with the most desperate fury. 

 It is chiefly in these battles with one another 

 that the huge antlers are used ; in contending 

 with other foes they strike terrible blows with 

 their fore hoofs and also sometimes lash out 

 behind like a horse. The bear occasionally 

 makes a prey of the moose ; the cougar is a 

 more dangerous enemy in the few districts 

 where both animals are found at all plentifully ; 

 but next to man its most dreaded foe is the 

 big timber wolf, that veritable scourge of all 

 animals of the deer kind. Against all of 

 these the moose defends itself valiantly ; a 

 cow with a calf and a rutting bull being es- 

 pecially dangerous opponents. In deep snows 

 through which the great deer flounders while 

 its adversary runs lightly on the crust, a single 

 wolf may overcome and slaughter a big bull 

 moose ; but with a fair chance no one or two 

 wolves would be a match for it. Desperate 

 combats take place before a small pack of 

 wolves can master the shovel-horned quarry, 

 unless it is taken at a hopeless disadvantage ; 

 and in these battles the prowess of the moose 

 is shown by the fact that it is no unusual thing 

 for it to kill one or more of the ravenous 

 throng; generally by a terrific blow of the 

 foreleg, smashing a wolf's skull or breaking 

 its back. I have known of several instances 

 of wolves being found dead, having perished 

 in this manner. Still the battle usually ends 

 the other way, the wolves being careful to 

 make the attack with the odds in their favor ; 

 and even a small pack of the ferocious brutes 

 16 



