THE GAME ANIMALS OF CANADA 35 



I 



ipipom British Columbia herds is abeady beginning to wander, 

 as shown by the reports that I have already quoted. 



The foregoing review of the present status of the wapiti 

 in Canada affords ground for optimism with regard to the 

 ^iture of this, the most magnificent of our native deer. If 

 le encouragement and almost complete protection that 

 ley are now receiving is continued and with the increase 

 pubUc sentiment in favour of such protection — we have 

 '■ery reason to believe that it will be maintained — the 

 Lpiti will continue to increase in those parts of Canada 

 lost adapted to its needs and mode of life, and where it 

 formerly existed in abundance. 



Habits of the Wapiti. — The feeding habits of the wapiti 

 vary somewhat according to the season of the year. For- 

 merly, when it enjoyed an extensive range, it usually re- 

 treated to the wooded slopes of the mountains and other 

 wooded regions during the summer season, and there it 

 browsed on buds, leaves, and twigs, and grazed on such 

 woodland grasses as it might find. It is an animal with 

 both browsing and grazing habits. In the winter it 

 wandered on the open prairies and grazed where the snow 

 was not too deep. Deep snow usually compels them to 

 seek the wooded regions. The best coimtry for the wapiti 

 is one which combines such summer and winter range as 

 I have described. 



During the summer the bulls lead a solitary life and by 

 September their splendid antlers have attained their full 

 size. They are very polygamous animals, and, at this season 

 of the year, fully prepared for struggles with other bulls for 

 the control of as large a band of cows as they can secure, 

 they challenge their rivals to combat. In regions inhabited 

 by the wapiti the wild call of the bull is an inspiring sound. 

 Followed by his band of cows he chmbs the crest of any 

 near-by hill, and utters the well-known bugle-notes. The 

 first guttural notes are roared out in^ an ascending scale 



