THE ALCINE DEER OF THE OLD AND NEW WORLDS. 69 



the gun one bit — no more noise than wliat he been 

 makin', and he thought he killed the moose ; so I just 

 loaded quick, and I shot him too. What fine moose 

 tliem was — both layin' together on the rocks ! Ko moose 

 like them now-a-days, Capten.'' 



It is not long since that an animated controversy ap- 

 peared in the columns of a sporting paper under the 

 heading " Do stags roar ? " It was decided, I believe, 

 that such was the case with the red-deer of the Scottish 

 hills, by the testimony of many sportsmen. I can testify 

 that such is also a habit of the moose, and many will 

 corroborate this statement. On two occasions in the fall 

 I have heard the strange and, until acquainted with its 

 origin, almost appalling sound emitted by the moose. It 

 is a deep, hoarse, and prolonged bellow, more resembling 

 a feline than a bovine roar. Once it occurred when a 

 moose, hitherto boldly coming up at night to the Indians' 

 call, had suddenly come on our tracks of the previous 

 evening when on our way to the calling-ground. On the 

 other occasion I followed a pair of moose for more than 

 an hour^ guided solely by the constantly repeated roar- 

 ings of the bull, which I shot in the act. 



Young moose of the second and third year are later 

 in their season than the old bulls. Before the end of 

 October, when their elders have retired, though they will 

 generally readily answer the Indians' call from a dis- 

 tance, they show great caution in approaching — stealthily 

 hovering round, seldom answering, and creeping along 

 the edges of the barren or lake so as to get to leeward of 

 the caller, making no crashing with their horns against 

 the trees as do the older bulls, and always adopting thq 

 moose-paths. In consequence they are seldom called up. 



