THE CHASE. 361 



peculiar to the pursuit of the Moose, and is substantially con- 

 fined to the amorous season, although the call is available, as we 

 have seen, as auxiliary to other modes of hunting, and at other 

 seasons. 



In general the deer is a very silent animal, and the use of the 

 voice is almost entirely confined to the two largest species, the 

 Moose and the wapiti. The Moose, most of all, expresses his 

 passions or his sensibilities by uttering sounds expressive of dif- 

 ferent passions and sensibilities, which are intelligible not only to 

 his own kind, but are understood by the hunter as well. To im- 

 itate these, sometimes an instrument, made of bark or a hollow 

 horn, is used as an aid, while others succeed well by muffling the 

 mouth with the hands ; some possess this faculty of imitation in 

 a much higher degree than others, and some even can never 

 acquire it. 



During the rutting season, as has been said, the male Moose 

 especially, impelled by the ardor of his passions, loses a part of 

 that timidity and caution by which he is governed at other 

 seasons. They become not only ardent, but courageous and 

 combative. Until mated with a female, they crush through the 

 forests and swamps in a half frenzied condition, seeking the 

 desired object, and apparently aching for a fight. Now it is that 

 the hunter seeks to take advantage of his temperament, by im- 

 itating such calls of his kind as are most likely to allure him to 

 love or to combat. In the call hunt the hunter has compar- 

 atively little to fear from the sight of the Moose, but from the 

 senses of smell and hearing he has everything to apprehend. 

 The time chosen is either night or early morning. He must 

 make his camp a sufficient distance from the ground selected for 

 the hunt, to prevent its giving notice to the game of his presence 

 in the neighborhood. There must be no wind to carry the odor 

 of the hunter in any direction, else the sagacious and suspicious 

 animal will be sure to take advantage of it, to approach the 

 hunter from the leeward, and so detect the fraud at once, when 

 the hunt is spoiled. A full moon is required to enable the hun- 

 ter to see the game when it approaches, and to shoot with ac- 

 curacy when in range. 



On a still night in September or October, with a good moon, 

 after the antlers of the Moose have become nicely polished by 

 being rubbed against the tree-stems, the experienced hunter re- 

 pairs to the well-known resort of the Moose, selecting an elevated 

 position in a country as open as may be found, and conceals him 



