164 FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



rage, and wage the fiercest war against each other for the pos- 

 session of the females. During this season the males are said to 

 make a loud and unpleasant noise, which is compared to a 

 sound between the neighing of a stallion and the bellowing of a 

 bull. Towards the end of May, or the beginning of June, the 

 female brings forth her young, commonly one, but very fre- 

 quently two in number, which are gL'nerally male and female. 



" The flesh of the Elk is highly esteemed by the Indians and 

 hunters as food, and the horns, while in their soft state, are also 

 considered a delicacy ; of their hides a great variety of articles 

 of dress and usefulness are prepared. The solid portion or shaft 

 of the perfect horn is wrought by the Indians into a bow, which is 

 highly serviceable from its elasticity, as well as susceptibility of 

 beauty of polish and fonii. Several of these bows may be seen 

 in the extensive collection of Indian implements belonging to 

 the Philadelphia Museum. The Elk has occasionally been to a 

 certain degree domesticated, and might possibly be rendered as 

 serviceable as the Rein-deer. A pair of these animals, repre- 

 sented in London under the name of Wapiti, were trained to 

 draw in harness, or to bear the saddle, for the amusement of 

 visitors. But these experiments are not sufficient to lead us to 

 conclude that the Elk could be readily substituted for the Rein- 

 deer or Horse. 



" With what little is known of this species from actual obser- 

 vation, several writers have mingled a great deal of fable, and 

 have repeated the stories of ' hunters,' until they have at length 

 passed for the truth. Thus, we are told of a ' small vesicle,' on 

 the outside of the Elk's hind legs, that contains a thin unctions 

 matter, which some of our hunters call the ' oil.' Various im- 

 probable uses are assigned to this unique and wonderful ' oil- 

 spring,' which it would be lost time to repeat or refute. We 

 have inquired of those who have dissected several of these ani- 

 mals, and have been present at the dissection of one ourselves, 

 but have never been able to discover anything of this ' vesicle.' 

 A friend who had one of these animals for several years living 

 in his possession, states that he never detected the presence of 



