126 SPORT IN NORWAY. 



of that birch, and judges by the nibbled leaves how 

 long it is since the elk was there ; watch him turning 

 up the dead leaves and scrutinizing a footmark ; look 

 at him crawling along cat-like on all fours to get a peep 

 over yonder knoll. Neither is his dog idle ; he enters 

 into the sport heartily. Those deep-drawn sniffs, which 

 would make you think the animal would suddenly 

 collapse, indicate plainly that an elk is not far off. 

 Now he stands up on his hind legs, and sniffs away 

 among the birch leaves, where an elk's nose has been, 

 not so very long before. Now he tugs away against 

 the collar as if he would pull you along fifty miles 

 an hour. You are close to your game. Tread very 

 softly; a crackling twig or a rolling stone may mar 

 the labour of a whole day, ay, of two or three. 



It is intensely exciting work much more so than 

 in reindeer-hunting, because your horizon of vision is so 

 limited, and you may be close on an elk before you 

 know it. 



The dung of the elk is soft in summer, resembling 

 that of a cow ; in winter it is hard, and looks more like 

 a bunch of large nuts than anything else. 



They are possessed of very acute senses, but their 

 powers of smell are not nearly so delicate or so great as 

 those of the reindeer. Judging from the widely-dis- 

 tended nostril one would think the contrary to be the 

 case. On the other hand, their eyesight is extremely 



