Moose 
having outlived its age and generation, it must necessarily soon 
become extinct from natural causes. 
His massive scoop-shaped antlers and monstrous muzzle, in fact, 
his whole great ungainly carcass, looks as if it might well belong to 
some of those forgotten creatures whose bones are found in the 
river-drift, or dug up from beneath clay strata, buried in some 
long past interglacial epoch. 
Yet the moose lives and breeds in our Maine woods, its flesh 
serves as an article of food among us and may be bought in the 
market. 
Furthermore, he seems perfectly well fitted to look out for 
his own safety. His speed and endurance are astonishing, and he 
carries his large bulk and spreading antlers easily and_ swiftly 
through thickets where a man might well hesitate to force his way. 
His long legs are very convenient when wading about after 
water lilies and equally so in reaching upward to peel the bark 
from the young trees or biting off the tender shoots. When 
browsing, however, he not unfrequently brings his heavy body 
also into play and rearing up rides the tree down by sheer force, 
thus bringing the upper branches within reach. Feeding off the 
ground is another matter, however, the neck being too short to 
compensate for the great length of leg so that the beast is forced 
to kneel with the front feet in order to reach the ground in a 
level spot. 
The moose is eminently an animal of the forest and is par- 
ticularly at home in the dense thickets surrounding the shallow 
lakes, bogs and watercourses of the north woods, where he may 
be found wading through the water in search of the yellow 
splatterdocks, the roots of which at certain seasons form one of 
his choicest articles of diet. Most of the peculiarities of the moose 
are undoubtedly due to his habits which are in many respects 
different from those of other members of the deer tribe. 
In running his movements are described as clumsy, never 
galloping or jumping, but executing a curious shuffling or ambling 
gait, tossing his head and shoulders as if about to break into a 
gallop, but only increasing his speed by lengthening his stride, 
spreading his hind feet in order to straddle the front ones 
without stepping on them, his hoofs clacking noisily as he goes. 
He holds his nose up and his antlers laid back on_ his 
shoulders to avoid the branches: When he comes to a fallen 
44 
