MOOSE DEER. 107 



denizen of the forest that, at any period of life, has the 

 odds so fearfully against him. 



As may be imagined, the end of February and 

 March are the periods when the greatest havoc among 

 these animals takes place, and I regret to say that 

 frequently the fiendish love of carnage alone seems to 

 occupy the mind of the pursuer. I have known 

 instances I grieve to say many when moose have 

 been killed simply for the sake of killing ; for, with 

 the exception of one or two titbits, the giant carcass 

 has been left to satiate the appetite of the wild beasts 

 of the forest* If one who has been guilty of such 

 unjustifiable conduct should read this, let his con* 

 science reproach him for the past, and the sting of 

 remorse cause him to resolve never to be again an 

 offender. 



The exact position of the scene which I am about to 

 describe I will not name. Gentle reader, say not that I 

 am selfish : for probably never again shall I fire a shot 

 upon it ; but my well-tried friend and hunting companion 

 visits it still each year, and, as he introduced me to its 

 well- stocked grounds, I had no hesitation, when last we 

 parted, in pledging my word to keep my knowledge 

 from the world. Suffice it to say, that it lies within 

 the limits of the State of Maine. 



The days that had heralded the advent of March 



