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THE MOOSE, OR ELK. 



the horns are developed, die, and are shed, is a very curious one, and deserves a short 

 notice before we proceed to consider the various species of Deer which will be noticed 

 in the present work. For a familiar instance, we will take the Common Stag, or Red 

 Deer of Europe. 



In the beginning of the month of March he is lurking in the sequestered spots of his 

 forest home, harmless as his mate and as timorous. Soon a pair of prominences make 

 their appearance on his forehead, covered with a velvety skin. In a few days these 

 little prominences have attained some length, and give the first indication of their true 

 form. Grasp one of these in the hand and it will be found burning hot to the touch, 

 for the blood runs fiercely through the velvety skin, depositing at every touch a minute 

 portion of bony matter. More and more rapidly grow the horns, the carotid arteries 

 enlarging in order to supply a sufficiency of nourishment, and in the short period of ten 

 weeks the enormous mass of bony matter has been completed. Such a process is 

 almost, if not entirely, without parallel in the history of the animal kingdom. 



When the horns have reached their due development, the bony rings at their bases, 

 through which the arteries pass, begin to thicken, and by gradually filling up the holes, 

 compress the blood-vessels, and ultimately obliterate them. The velvet now having no 

 more nourishment, loses its vitality, and is soon rubbed off in shreds against tree-trunks, 

 branches, or any inanimate object. The horns fall off in February, and in a very short 

 time begin to be renewed. These ornaments are very variable at the different periods 

 of the animal's life, the age of the Stag being well indicated by the number of "tines" 

 upon his horns. 



THE first group of Deer is that which includes the Deer of the snowy regions, and 

 comprehends two genera, the Elk and the Reindeer. 



The MOOSE or ELK is the largest of all the deer tribe, attaining the extraordinary 

 height of seven feet at the shoulders, thus equalling many an ordinary elephant in di- 

 mensions. The horns of this animal are very large, and widely palmated at their ex- 

 tremities, their united weight being so great as to excite a feeling of wonder at the 

 ability of the animal to carry so heavy a burden. It does not reach its full develop- 

 ment until its fourteenth year. The muzzle is very large and is much lengthened in 

 front, so as to impart a most unique expression to the Elk's countenance. The color 

 of the animal is a dark brown, the legs being washed with a yellow hue. It is a native 

 of Northern Europe and America, the Moose of the latter continent and the Elk of the 

 former being one and the same species. 



As the flesh of the Elk is palatable, and the skin and the horns extremely useful, 

 the animal is much persecuted by hunters. It is a swift and enduring animal, although 

 its gait is clumsy and awkward in the extreme. The only pace of the Elk is a long, 

 swinging trot ; but its legs are so long and its paces so considerable, that its speed is 

 much greater than it appears to be. Obstacles that are almost impassable to a horse, 

 are passed over easily by the Elk, which has been known to trot uninterruptedly over 

 a number of fallen tree-trunks, some of them five feet in thickness. When the ground 

 is hard and will bear the weight of so large an animal, the hunters are led a very 

 long and severe chase before they come up with their prey ; but when the snow lies 

 soft and thick on the ground, the creature soon succumbs to its lighter antagonists, 

 who invest themselves in snow-shoes and scud over the soft snow with a speed that 

 speedily overcomes that of the poor Elk, whick sinks floundering into the deep snow- 

 drifts at every step, and is soon worn out by its useless efforts. 



It is as wary as any of the Deer tribe, being alarmed by the slightest sound or the 

 faintest scent that gives warning of an enemy. As the Elk trots along, its course is 

 marked by a succession of sharp sounds, which are produced by the snapping of the 

 cloven hoofs, which separate at every step, and fall together as the animal raises its 

 foot from the ground. 



Generally, the Elk avoids the presence of man, but in some seasons of the year he 

 becomes seized with a violent excitement, that finds vent in fighting with every living 

 creature that may cross his path. His weapons are his horns and fore-feet, the latter 

 being used with such terrible effect that a single blow is sufficient to slay a wolf on the 



