The Moose 313 



over logs of surprising height. I have seen the 

 snow piled upon logs to the height of three feet 

 above the ground, yet undisturbed by them in 

 stepping over. They trot or run with a long, 

 swinging stride, and rarely leap, and then never 

 more than one or two jumps when suddenly 

 frightened. They travel with great rapidity and 

 ease ; they can run through thick timber and 

 brush, scarcely creating a sound. Often the in- 

 experienced hunter is very sure he has his moose 

 in a certain thicket or brush, only to find, after a 

 very careful approach, its bed in the leaves yet 

 warm, and the animal perhaps two miles away. 

 So acute is their sense of smell and hearing, and 

 so careful, silent, and mysterious their movements, 

 that they not only detect the enemy under cir- 

 cumstances that would seem impossible, but they 

 escape him without giving the slightest notice of 

 departure, running through all sorts of tangles 

 without so much as snapping a twig. If the 

 moose is suddenly alarmed and recognizes itself 

 observed by an enemy, it does not endeavor to 

 conceal its movements. If in the brush or timber, 

 it will make a bound and go crashing through, 

 smashing everything on its road in the most wild 

 and reckless manner; if in the open, it will give 

 you one quick glance and move off in a long, 

 swinging, and usually rapid trot, but never at its 

 best speed so long as in sight, for the moose is 



