26 A SPORTING PARADISE 



appearance which produces this effect : for when 

 the proportions of its structure are considered in 

 detail, they certainly will seem destitute of that 

 harmony of parts which in the imagination pro- 

 duces the feeling of beauty. The Quadrupeds of 

 North America (Audubon and Buchman) contains 

 the following : They feed on the water-plants, 

 or browse upon the trees fringing the shores. In 

 the winter they retire to the dry mountain ridges, 

 and generally " yard," * as it is termed, on the 

 side facing the south, where there are abundance 

 of maple and other hardwood trees upon which 

 to feed, either by browsing on the tender twigs 

 or peeling off the bark from the stems of such 

 as are only 3 or 4 inches in diameter/ ' 



Although moose swim well, they are not 

 known to dive ; they swim with the head and 



* A "yard" is not, as some people seem to suppose, a 

 trampled-down space, with definite limits ; the yard is merely 

 the spot which a moose has chosen for its winter home, 

 because it contains plenty of browse in the shape of young 

 trees and saplings, and perhaps also because it is sheltered 

 to some extent from the fiercest winds and heaviest snow- 

 drifts. The animal travels across this space in straight lines 

 and irregular circles after food, treading in its own footsteps 

 where practicable. As the snow deepens these lines of travel 

 become beaten paths. If the snow is very light, moose do 

 not yard at all ; but in a hard winter they begin to yard 

 in December 



