130 A TASTE OF MAINE BIRCH. 



the sky and gets the range of its barrels, then lowers 

 it till it covers the mark, and fires. 



The largest moose Uncle Nathan ever killed is 

 mounted in the State House at Augusta. He shot 

 him while hunting in winter on snow-shoes. The 

 moose was reposing upon the ground, with his head 

 stretched out in front of him, as one may sometimes 

 see a cow resting. The position was such that only 

 a quartering shot through the animal's hip could 

 reach its heart. Studying the problem carefully, and 

 taking his own time, the hunter fired. The moose 

 sprang into the air, turned, and came with tremen- 

 dous strides straight toward him. " I knew he had 

 not seen or scented me," said Uncle Nathan, "but, 

 by hemp, I wished myself somewhere else just then ; 

 for I was lying right down in his path." But the 

 noble animal stopped a few yards short, and fell dead 

 with a bullet hole through his heart. 



When the moose yard in the winter, that is, restrict 

 their wanderings to a well-defined section of the 

 forest or mountain, trampling down the snow and 

 beating paths in all directions, they browse off only 

 the most dainty morsels first ; when they go over the 

 ground a second time they crop a little cleaner ; the 

 third time they sort still closer, till by and by nothing 

 is left. Spruce, hemlock, poplar, the barks of various 

 trees, everything within reach, is cropped close. 

 When the hunter comes upon one of these yards the 

 problem for him to settle is, Where are the moose ? 

 for it is absolutely necessary that he keep on the lee 



