THE HOENS OF THE MOOSE. 57 



of moose-hunting was gained ; there I made my maiden 

 effort, which was a failure, to return years afterwards and 

 awake the echoes with the war-whoop that proclaims 

 success. 



In December, moose deer cast their horns; by April, 

 the successors commence to sprout ; by the end of June 

 full form is developed, but not till many weeks later are 

 they denuded of velvet ; when that takes place the antlers 

 are perfectly white, but exposure to the atmosphere soon 

 gives them a tawny shade, which deepens with the lapse of 

 time. The cow. of course, never bears these ornaments, 

 but the young bull-calf at one year throws out a brace of 

 knobs an inch in length; in the second season these are 

 about six inches long ; the third year they increase to nine 

 or ten inches, with a fork. In the fourth season palmation 

 is exhibited with several points. From this age there is a 

 gradual increase in the palmation and number of points 

 till the animal attains its greatest vigour, from which 

 period the horns decrease in width and weight, at the 

 same time becoming more elongated. Twenty-three is the 

 greatest number of points I have seen on one head, and 

 the weight of the horns just exceeded seventy pounds. I 

 doubt if larger has ever, of late years, been found. 



The young moose deer, that is, those under five years, 

 frequently do not show their new head-dress till March. 

 Instances have been known still, I have no doubt that 

 such were great exceptions of young males bearing the 

 former year's horns as late as the calving season, which is 

 in the end of April, and in Labrador and far northern 

 localities, May. 



