THE MOOSE. 263 



but with this exception, that those taking part in it must 

 exert themselves to a certain extent, and display a knowl- 

 edge of the haunts and habits of the animal. Previous to 

 commencing the drive, a grand moose- dance is held, in 

 which all the so-called braves join ; and, when this is ended, 

 they, accompanied by their families, dogs, and horses, and 

 all the paraphernalia of an encampment, start for the forest 

 in September or October, when the moose have left their 

 woodland recesses, and are running boldly about in search 

 of mates. Selecting a locality where the animals are nu- 

 merous, they form a large cordon, and, by beating and 

 shouting, drive them toward a common centre, where they 

 are slaughtered indiscriminately, and not only them, but all 

 four-footed game they meet. In this manner they hunt the 

 forest for miles, and sweep it almost clean of all edible 

 quadrupeds ; and if they can manage to bag a grizzly, great 

 is their joy thereat. • 



At other times they place men in concealment in a moun- 

 tain pass, or one that leads to water or connects two lakes, 

 and the remainder drive the moose toward them. When 

 the animals enter this gorge or pass of death, they cannot 

 well advance or retreat without running past a line of fire, 

 and the result is that hundreds fall in a week. The moose 

 are skinned by the squaws after the drive is over, and their 

 flesh is made into pemmican, or eaten fresh, viscera and all. 

 The meat is generally excellent, but is sometimes tough; 

 the fat part is delicious, however, at all times. The nose or 

 moufle is very good, and is much like the tail of the beaver 

 in flavor. Many persons consider this the best part, and 

 are extravagant in its praise ; but I would always prefer a 

 good sirloin off a two-year-old cow in good condition. 



The moose of the North-west, unlike their congeners in 

 the eastern portion of the United States and Canada, do 

 not yard, as a rule, but travel in pairs, or, at most, four or 

 six together. They are more abundant, however, and less 

 cautious, owing to their immunity from the rifles of skin- 

 hunters; hence a good shot ought to be able to make a 

 good bag in the wooded mountainous regions of Idaho, 



