HABIT AND DOMESTICATION. Ill 



will attack an enemy or defend themselves under circumstances, 

 when they would only think of escape at other seasons. 



The female also loses her timidity sometimes, and becomes 

 courageous and even desperate in defense of her young. Mr. 

 Gilpin, son of Dr. Gilpin, of Halifax, once met one when hunting 

 small game, that charged him on sight, most furiously, but he 

 had the presence of mind to meet the charge with his fowling 

 piece, and severed her windpipe with a charge of shot. Her 

 fawn was too young to escape, and in her maternal solicitude 

 she forgot her fears of even her most dreaded enemy. 



These deer are less migratory than the caribou, and so con- 

 fine their range to more limited areas, nor are they so easily 

 driven away from their usual haunts by the encroachments of 

 the white settler. Though very wary and ever on the look-out 

 for an enemy, they will listen with complacency to the distant 

 sound of the woodman's axe, the rumbling of the railroad train, or 

 the sound of the whistle of the engine, without being driven to 

 another country, or even being much disturbed. 



The Moose has often been reared and tamed in this country ; 

 but I know of no systematic attempt to domesticate them, nor 

 have I ever heard of their breeding in domestication. They 

 have been sometimes broken to the harness and proved them- 

 selves able to draw good loads ; and yet I know of no regular 

 etfoj-t that has been made to reduce them to servitude. When 

 tamed, they are reasonably docile, except the males during the 

 rutting season, when, as might be suspected, they become fero- 

 cious, and should be kept in close quartei's where they can do no 

 harm. If castrated young, and early taught obedience to man, 

 we may not doubt that they would readily submit to his domin- 

 ion, and their great strength would give promise of useful beasts of 

 draught, especially in countries where deep snows prevail, through 

 which they pass with facility where ordinary cattle could make no 

 progress. 



Of his European brother, Louis Figuier, in " Mammalia," says : 

 " The elk when caught young may be completely tamed with- 

 out difficulty. It recognizes the person who takes care of it and 

 will follow him like a dog, manifesting considerable joy on see- 

 ing him after a separation. It goes in harness as well as a rein- 

 deer, and can thus perform long journeys. For two or three 

 centuries it was used for this purpose in Sweden, but the custom 

 is now given up." If in this the learned author is not mistaken, 

 then the Swedish Elk at that time must have been bred in do- 



