78 FOREST LIFE IN ACADIE, 



at any time and at his own convenience. The old bulls 

 become very solitary in their habits, and, indeed, seem to 

 avoid the society of their species, living in the roughest 

 and moet inaccessible districts, on hill sides strewn in 

 the wildest confusion with bleached granite boulders, and 

 windfalls where some forest fire has passed over and left 

 the land thus desolate. 



In severe snow-storms the moose seeks shelter from 

 the blinding drift (poudre) in fir thickets. In the yard, 

 the animal spends the day in alternately lying down for 

 periods of about two hours, and rising to browse on the 

 bushes near at hand. About ten o'clock in the morning, 

 and again in the afternoon, they may generally be found 

 feeding, or standing, chewing the cud, with their heads 

 listlessly drooping. At noon they always lie down ; and 

 the Indian hunter knows well that this is the worst time 

 of day to approach a yard, as the animal is then keenly 

 watching, with its wonderful faculties of scent and hear- 

 ing on the alert, for the faintest taint or sound in the air 

 which would intimate coming danger. I have waited 

 motionless for an hour at a time, knowing the herd was 

 reposing close at hand, and anxiously expecting a little 

 wind to stir the branches so as to cover my advance, 

 which would otherwise be quite futile. The snapping of 

 a little twig, or the least collision of the rifle with a 

 branch in passing, or the crunching of the snow under 

 the moccasin, though you planted your footsteps with 

 the most deliberate caution, would suffice to start them. 



The moose is not easily alarmed, however, by distant 

 sounds, nor does he take notice of dogs barking, the 

 screams of geese, or the choppings of an axe — sounds, 

 emanating from some settler's farm, which are borne 



