" In the far-away northernmost wilds of Maine, 



Where the murmuring pines all the year complain, 

 In the unknown Aroostook's lonesome world, 



Or where the waters of Moosehead are curl'd, 

 The stalwart wood-cutter spreads his camp, 



In his cabin of logs trims his winter lamp : 

 And many a savory banquet doth cheer. 



The fireside joys of his wintry- year. 

 With haunch of moose and the dappled deer." 



THE MOOSE. 



The moose is the largest, as well as the most highly prized species of 

 the deer family to be found within the limits of the United States. 

 Formerly this species w^as very abundant throughout the region of coun- 

 try extending from the wilds of northern Maine westward through the 

 wilderness bordering on the Great Lakes and far beyond, but great havoc 

 has been wrought, especially during the past twenty-five years, in the sup- 

 ply of this variety of game. Comparatively few are killed annuallv in the 

 United States, and these mostly within the limits of northern Maine and 

 the states of the far Northwest ; where the pernicious activity of pro- 

 fessional hiniters and self-styled sportsmen, who kill the large beasts during 

 the prevalence of deep snows, will, if not checked, bring the moose into 

 the list of extinct species of American game before the close of another 

 decade. 



In appearance the moose is large and awkward ; its huge head and 

 broad nose, combined with ' its short, thick neck, giving it a rather 

 grotesque look. The moose travels over the ground with remarkable 

 speed, not after the style of the common deer, with long graceful bounds, 

 but in a swinging trot, crashing through the thickets and over fallen logs, 

 with a noise that may be heard quite a distance. This style of locomotion 



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