to chop his way. He does this by thrusting his nose forward and 

 upward so that his palmated antlers lie back over his shoulders 

 like a shield. Thus protected he wades through heavy brush by 

 sheer power. 



In summer, the moose feeds alone and likes it. He seeks out the 

 broad, thin leaves of the striped maple and varies this diet by 

 kneeling down and nibbling on moss and low shrubs. In winter 

 he gets by on bark and twigs. 



The moose regularly takes a ducking to get at one of his favor- 

 ite dishes, the meaty roots and stems of the water lily. He'll stand 

 withers-deep in a stream for hours nosing the bottom and taking 

 in roots with his pendulous lips. 



Like other members of the deer family the moose's eyesight 

 is nothing to brag of. On several occasions I have stood motion- 

 less in the brush while a moose looked me over from a distance of 

 only a few yards and went quietly on with his feeding. 



49 



