THE ROMANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



though seized by eight trackers, overturned them 

 all and fled." It was subsequently taken, as were 

 five others, in another part of the forest, one of 

 them only a few days old. The savage impatience 

 of man manifested by these young sylvans, was 

 in the ratio of their age and sex. The bull of 

 fifteen months maintained for a long time its sul- 

 len and morose behaviour; it became furious at 

 the approach of man, tossing its head, lashing its 

 tail, and presenting its horns. After a while, 

 however, it became tolerant of its keeper, and 

 was allowed a measure of liberty.* 



All the kinds of deer are shy and timid, but that 

 fine species the moose of North America is pecu- 

 liarly jealous and suspicious. The Indians declare 

 that he is more shy and difficult to take than 

 any other animal; more vigilant, more acute of 

 sense, than the reindeer or bison ; fleeter than the 

 wapiti, more sagacious and more cautious than 

 the deer. In the most furious tempest, when the 

 wind, and the thunder, and the groaning of the 

 trees, and the crash of falling timber, are combin- 

 ing to fill the ear with an incessant roar, if a 

 man, either with foot or hand, break the smallest 

 dry twig in the forest, the Indians aver that the 

 moose will take notice of it; he may not instantly 

 take to flight, but he ceases to eat, and concen- 

 trates his attention. If, in the course of an hour 

 or so, the man neither moves nor makes the 

 slightest noise, the animal may begin to feed 

 again ; but he does not forget what attracted his 

 notice, and for many hours manifests an increased 

 watchfulness. Hence, it requires the utmost pa- 

 tience of an Indian hunter to stalk moose success- 

 fully. 



The Indians believe that this animal, when other 

 * Proc. Zool. Soc, 1848, p. 16. 

 196 



