THE MOOSE DEER. 47 



Tennessee, in all of which it has now ceased to exist, to 

 the great prairie states of the west and the foot of the 

 Rocky Mountains, in many of which it is still found 

 frequently, although it cannot he said to abound until 

 you pass the Mississippi and even go beyond the cross 

 timbers. Why this deer ever received the title of 

 Cervus Canadcnsisy it is difficult to state, as I find no 

 indication of its ever having existed in Canada, but I 

 fancy it has arisen from a mistaken application of the 

 French term Orignal, or Elk, to this animal, which is 

 beyond doubt really applicable to the Moose, that 

 animal being, in fact, as I have observed, the Elk of 

 Europe, and having the flat palmated horns of that 

 species, whereas the Wapiti has the round branching 

 antlers of the red deer of Europe, Cervus Elaplms, to 

 which animal it bears a very strong analogy, and except 

 in its vast superiority of size, closely resembles. 



The Moose is the largest of all the deer tribe, an old 

 bull standing full eighteen hands high at the shoulder, 

 or six feet common measure, while the cows do not fall 

 short of fourteen or fifteen. The fore-legs of this deer 

 are very disproportionately long as compared to the 

 hind legs, and the shoulder stands so much higher than 

 the rump, that at a casual glance you would suppose the 

 animal to be standing up hill. His neck is so short and 

 cumbrous that he cannot graze on the ground without 

 much difficulty, straddling his fore-legs very wide apart, 

 and even then gathering his food from a plain surface 



