THE SCANDINAVIAN ELK 137 



sight and hearing. It is said that an elk can go wherever 

 a man can, and, although this may be somewhat of an ex- 

 aggeration, inasmuch as no elk could climb the Matterhorn, it 

 is nevertheless astonishing what tremendous ascents and de- 

 scents his long legs can accomplish under pressure, and with 

 what rapidity he will travel for miles over the fjeld, from valley 

 to valley, so that the most active followers of the loose dog 

 would in such a chase be nowhere. 



The elk hound belongs to the breed used by the Esquimaux, 

 a small species of which is known in England under the name 

 of ' Spitz.' There are two types of this dog, the one being 

 smaller, lighter limbed, and more finely coated than the other ; 

 but they have in common the characteristics of thick hair with 

 an undergrowth of wool, sharp noses and ears, and a bushy, 

 tightly-curled tail, like the inner whorls of a fossil ammonite. 

 Their colour ranges through various shades of grey, brindled 

 and foxy, is occasionally pure black or white, or a mixture of 

 the two. A well-bred and thoroughly well-trained elk hound 

 is a valuable animal and hard to procure : 25/. to 30/. — a large 

 sum in Scandinavia — or even more, is not too high a price for 

 a perfect animal, when we consider how much is required of 

 him, how greatly the enjoyment and success of the sportsman 

 depend upon his experience, sagacity, nose, speed and courage, 

 and how considerable is the market value of each animal that 

 by his aid falls to the rifle of the professional hunter : head, 

 hide and meat included, it may be set at from 6/. to 10/. 

 But the leash-hound, to be used only as a stalking dog, seldom 

 commands anything like so high a price, the Scandinavian 

 natives being, as a rule, singularly ignorant or impatient of 

 this style of pursuit. The best leash-hounds are those which 

 are never loosed. This will be easily understood when we 

 fleet that in stalking a thoroughly good dog will be mute 

 ider all circumstances, and always temperate, never straining 

 Mlently at the leader, even when most eager and excited 

 by the proximity of the elk ; whereas it is essential that the 

 loose dog should give tongue freely when he finds, overtakes. 



