THIRD ANNUAL REPORT. 57 



and scrubby brush, and even in the mountainous country many 

 small muskeg valleys exist. Country of this nature is everywhere 

 dotted with small swamp lakes. Many large tracts that are higher 

 and more dry are frequently swept by fire, after which heavy crops 

 of willow soon spring up through the fallen timber and afford 

 ideal feeding grounds for the moose. Everywhere the country is 

 difficult to traverse, even for the native. Compared with the size 

 of the country, the number of Indians is insignificant, while of 

 white hunters there are none. We may therefore conclude that 

 the life of the moose is here well preserved, and that nothing will 

 ever drive out these creatures unless some great change takes place 

 in the character of the country or in the number of its inhabitants. 



The females generally bring forth their young in close proximity 

 to the streams, on the lower levels of the country, and on the 

 islands in the large streams. The latter places are especially sought 

 by them. These islands are generally well wooded, and furnish 

 most excellent hiding places. Swimming to one of these islands, 

 the female will travel its length and breadth. If food is to be had, 

 if the surroundings are agreeable, and free from wolves and other 

 enemies, she is most likely to remain until her offspring is suf- 

 ficiently strong to follow her to the main shore. In making the 

 trip through the water the mother has often been known, especially 

 when the current is swift, to swim just below her calf, and in that 

 way steer it safely across. On reaching the mainland they gen- 

 erally seek the higher ridges, and remain there until the heavv 

 snows of the following winter drive them back to the low ground, 

 which generally occurs in February. The bulls always precede the 

 females to the hills by several weeks, but return with them in the 

 winter. 



Throughout this country the breeding season is from the latter 

 part of September to the latter part of October, and the calves are 

 usually dropped between May 20th and June 15th. Last fall I 

 travelled through a splendid moose country during the entire 

 breeding season, and my opportunities for observation, and for in- 

 quiry of the natives, gave me a very fair knowledge of the habits of 

 this animal. 



From May 1st to 20th of the present year I frequently visited 

 Indian camps where female moose had just been slaughtered, and 

 found that none of them had dropped their calves. On May 2ist, 

 when my party started for the Nahanna Mountains, we passed a 



