The Moose. 205 



surrounded by open country. They grazed throughout 

 the summer on marsh plants, notably lily stems, and nib- 

 bled at the tops of the very tall natural hay of the mead- 

 ows. The legs of the beast are too long and the neck too 

 short to allow it to graze habitually on short grass ; "yet 

 in the early spring when greedy for the tender blades of 

 young, green marsh grass, the moose will often shuffle 

 down on its knees to get at them, and it will occasionally 

 perform the same feat to get a mouthful or two of snow 

 in winter. 



The moose which lived in isolated, exposed localities 

 were speedily killed or driven away after the incoming of 

 settlers ; and at the time that we hunted we found no sign 

 of them until we reached the region of continuous forest 

 Here, in a fortnight's hunting, we found as much sign as 

 we wished, and plenty of it fresh ; but the animals them- 

 selves we not only never saw but we never so much as 

 heard. Often after hours of careful still-hunting or cau- 

 tious tracking, we found the footprints deep in the soft 

 earth, showing where our quarry had winded or heard 

 us, and had noiselessly slipped away from the danger. It 

 is astonishing how quietly a moose can steal through the 

 woods if it wishes : and it has what is to the hunter a very 

 provoking habit of making a half or three quarters circle 

 before lying down, and then crouching with its head so 

 turned that it can surely perceive any pursuer who may 

 follow its trail. We tried every method to outwit the 

 beasts. We attempted to track them ; we beat through 

 likely spots ; sometimes we merely "sat on a log" and 

 awaited events, by a drinking hole, meadow, mud wallow 



