128 THE MOOSE. 



and if you can muster patience to listen, I will now 

 give you the result of my researches with regard to 

 the moose. You will observe that I have only noted 

 his more salient features. 



"To begin then. The moose belongs to the sub- 

 family of the Alcinse, or elks, which are characterized 

 by having their horns broad and flat. Of this sub- 

 family the typical representative is the moose. At 

 first sight he seems an ungainly beast, as large as an 

 ordinary horse, and with long disproportioned legs, 

 which give him a shambling and awkward appearance. 



"The moose has an extensive range, being found 

 from the northern part of the Scandinavian peninsula 

 to Siberia, and thence passing over Behring Strait 

 into America, it extends to New Brunswick and Nova 

 Scotia. Formerly it was abundant in the State of 

 Maine, and even in the northern portion of the State 

 of New York ; but it has long disappeared thence, and 

 it is now doubtful if it is more than an occasional 

 visitor to the State of Maine. 



" Ceaseless persecution, in season and out of season, 

 by settlers and Indians, has thinned the numbers of this 

 noble animal, so that at present few individuals exist 

 in localities noted for their abundance only a few years 

 since. In Scandinavia the limits of the elk (for the 

 European elk and the American moose are identical) 

 have been placed at 58 north latitude. It has 

 also been stated to exist in Finland, Lithuania, and 

 Russia. In Northern Asia it is plentiful in the im- 



