360 MR. E. C. OBEUHOLTZER ON 



to fifteen seconds ; such, at least, were my conclusions, after 

 roughly timing a number of feeding bulls. Not having a stop- 

 watch, I arranged with Billy to signal me every time the animal 

 either raised or lowered his head. 



To get rid of flies, the moose often completely immerses 

 himself. I have seen large bulls swim out beyond their depth, 

 sink their heads, and be gone from sight a second or so, the 

 hump reappearing first. The bulls, as a rule, venture out much 

 farther than the cows ; ten times to one where a moose is 

 overtaken in deep water by canoe it is a bull. This is partly, 

 I think, because the bulls have no responsibility in protecting the 

 calves, and partly because they seem to be much more afflicted 

 with flies than either cows or calves. Thioughout June, July, 

 and often the greater part of August, the head and withers are 

 plastered Ayith flies — particularly with little grass-green wedge- 

 shaped flies. When the bull immerses himself they merely hang 

 above the water till he i^eappears. Several times when we have 

 overtaken a bull in mid-lake these flies have transferred them- 

 selves to our backs and there they stuck, stubborn to all slapping, 

 till we smoked them off ovei* the fire. The cows and calves, on 

 the other hand, seem to be comparatively free from these pests ; 

 and I have often wondered whether the heat and blood in a bull's 

 new antlers may not help to make him a target. 



Last spring opposite our camp there was a bay, where we could 

 see the moose come to feed morning, noon, and evening. They 

 usually remained an hour or so, and often at night, too, we could 

 hear them splashing and grunting. In general, however, though 

 I have seen more moose at sundown than at any other tinieof the 

 day, I have not found them confining their visits to any particular 

 hours. If unmolested, many of the bulls during the fly-season 

 seem to remain in the water the greater part of the day ; even 

 when disturbed they often return quickly. ISTor do moose 

 cease to enter the water when the flies are gone. I have seen 

 a cow up to her belly on the first of November, a few days 

 before the river froze. They have a fondness for tramping 

 through the creamy gi^ey ooze that covers the bottom of many 

 streams. Often you will see it sticking to their legs when they 

 stand on the shore ; and I remember certain shallow lakes where 

 the bottom was channelled in all directions with their furrows. 

 Then, too, especially early and late in the year, they sometimes 

 take long swims. Last spring I saw two crossing the lake at a 

 place not less than two miles wide. In this way they often 

 become an easy pi"ey to pot-hunters ; one of my own canoemen 

 had thus slain a bull with an axe. Men have even been known 

 to jump on the backs of swimming moose. 



Of the extraordinary tameness of moose in regions where they 

 are seldom molested there are many records. They seem to have 

 a, primitive curiosity about Man comparable to our own about 

 them ; and this is especially evident in the untra veiled Rainy 

 Lake District. Again and again we approached within fifty feet 



