THE MOOSE. 247 



as to bleed very easily, yet by the latter end of August 

 they are hard and full-grown, and their adult owner is then 

 ready to test their eighteen points against all rivals in love. 

 It is only the male, as a rule, that is furnished with these 

 powerful weapons, yet cases have been known in which 

 they also adorned the female. 



The latter, which is much smaller than the male, brings 

 forth her young in May, the number being confined to one 

 at a birth for the first two years, but after that she has two 

 at a time. The calves remain with their mother long after 

 she has ceased nursing them, and, if a herd is together, 

 form a permanent portion of it. Gravid females always 

 secrete themselves in the densest portion of the forest early 

 in the season while carrying their young, and remain there 

 until September, when they course over it in search of 

 mates, and cause it to resound with their wild, erotic cries. 

 The period of gestation is about eight months, and the 

 calves are so strong at their birth that they are able to run 

 about in a lively manner in the course of a few days. The 

 mother is much attached to them ; but the same cannot be 

 said of the sire, for he is sometimes their worst foe until 

 they are able to take care of themselves. 



The rutting season commences in September, and lasts six 

 or seven weeks, and during that time, whenever the males 

 meet they engage in desperate and often deadly encounters. 

 They are so busily engaged in fighting, roaring, and wooing 

 during this period that they fade to skeletons, for they eat 

 very little; and the haughty monarchs that stalked through 

 the forest in September so conscious of strength and proud 

 of mien, skulk through it in November, ragged, dingy, list- 

 less, and starved-looking wretches. They that would boldly 

 face man, if necessary, a few weeks before, would not now 

 fight a cur; and their only desire seems to be to mope and 

 hide themselves in the thickets. 



During the running season the woods resound with the 

 cries of the animals that are in search of mates, and persons 

 who can imitate the call of the female can then lead many 

 a bull to destruction through it. This siren-like cry con- 



