THE ALCINE DEER OF THE OLD AND NEW WORLDS. 65 



A few swamp-maple saplings, withrod bushes (viburnum), 

 and mountain-ash, occur at intervals near the edge of 

 the swamp, where the ground is drier, and offer a 

 mouthful of browse to the moose, who, however, mostly 

 frequenting these localities in the rutting season, seldom 

 partake of food. Here, accompanied by his consort, 

 the bull remains, if undisturbed, for weeks together ; 

 and, if a large animal, will claim to be the monarch of 

 t^ e swamp, crashing with his antlers against the tree 

 stems should he hear a distant rival approaching, and 

 making sudden mad rushes through the trees that can 

 be heard at a long distance. At frequent intervals the 

 moss is torn up in a large area, and the black mud 

 scooped out by the bull pawing with the fore-foot- 

 Eound these holes he continually resorts. The strong 

 musky effluvia evolved by them is exceedingly offensive, 

 and can be perceived at a considerable distance. They 

 are examined with much curiosity by the Indian hunter 

 (who is not over particular) to ascertain the time elapsed 

 since the animal was last on the spot. A similar fact is 

 noticed by Mr. Lloyd in the case of the European elk, 

 " grop '' being the Norse term applied to such cavities 

 found in similar situations in the Scandinavian forest. 



The rutting season commences early in September, the 

 horns of the male being by that time matured and har- 

 dened. An Indian hunter has told me that he has called 

 up a moose in the third week of August, and found the 

 velvet still covering the immature horn ; however, the 

 connexion between the cessation of further emission of 

 horn matter from the system owing to strangulation of 

 the ducts at the burr of the completed antler, with the 

 advent of the sexual season, is so well established as a 



