THE MOOSE 75 



hunters do not pursue too persistently. In this entire 

 region, from the Ottawa in the East to the Kenai Pen- 

 insula in the far West, moose are retiring toward the 

 North before the advance of civilization, and are every- 

 where occupying the new country. 



"The moose of Maine and the maritime provinces 

 occupy a relatively small area, surrounded on all sides 

 by settlements, which prevent the animals from leaving 

 the country when civilization encroaches. In this dis- 

 trict their habits have been greatly modified. They 

 do not show the same fear of the sound of the rifle or 

 the smell of fire, or even the scent of human footsteps, 

 as in the wilder portions of the country. In conse- 

 quence of this change of habit, it is tlirficult for a 

 hunter, whose experience is limited to Maine or the 

 maritime provinces, to appreciate how very shy and 

 wary a moose can be."* 



Although the moose is always found in woods he is 

 not found in all the woods. He has a decided prefer- 

 ence for dark, swampy, solitary, and almost inacces- 

 sible forests, where he has the best chance of escaping 

 his intelligent enemy. In this he differs from the elk, 

 which prefers higher and dryer ground. There is no 

 country more difficult to hunt in than that inhabited 

 by the moose. There is probably no animal more dif- 

 ficult to capture by " fair chase," and the immense 

 trophy is prized accordingly by sportsmen. 



The following record of the shipment of moose over 

 the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad in Maine shows 

 that the moose are fairly plentiful, and that many 



•Madison Grant in Seventh Report of the New York State Forest, Fish, 

 and Game Commission. 



