22 BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. 



large and spreading, broadly palmated ■with numerous sharp points; neck 

 short and stout, and nearly horizontal, higher at the -withers than at the hips. 

 Body short and round. Legs long and stout, fore legs the longest. Accessory 

 hoofs large and loosely attached. No metatarsal gland. Tarsal gland inside 

 the hock present, but small, and covered with black reversed hair. Hair long, 

 coarse, and rather brittle; longest about the neck; color variant from black to 

 brown and yellowish gray. Antlers wanting on the female, which is smaller 

 than the male, and lighter colored in winter. 



The venison of the Moose is good, winter or snmmer. It 

 is doarse-grained^even more so than that of the Elk — but 

 possesses a flavor peculiarly its own. I have heard it pro- 

 nounced musky in flavor, but the friends of the animal — 

 the men who love to hunt- it in its forest home— do not 

 detect the musk. When, in midwinter, the Deer are too 

 poor to eat, the mountaineer goes in search of Moose, which, 

 owing to their great size and strength, can procure their food 

 despite the deep snows and blizzards. He knows that the 

 flesh of the great ruminant is dark and uninviting to the 

 eye, but sweet and juicy to the palate. 



The hump of the Buffalo is a delicacy widely celebrated 

 among sportsmen. The Moose has a hump on his nose, and 

 for a delicious morsel it excels any other meat dish I have 

 ever had the pleasure of sampling. The Beaver' s tail has 

 many admirers, and the nose of the Moose resembles it in 

 some ways, but is far' better. I never knew any other ver- 

 dict from those who had enjoyed a dinner with that best of 

 game dishes as a meat course. 



The Moose, the killing of which is described above, was 

 devoted to the delectation of the deserving laborers in the 

 hay-field, and was, without dissent, voted the best meat 

 in the world. There is, however, I will admit, something 

 in the air that surrounds a camp, far away from civilized 

 homes, that fits the palate to the enjoyment of wild meat. 

 This unaccountable peculiarity may be reason for the public 

 to look upon the indorsements of sportsmen with a degree 

 of allowance. 



The head of the Moose was cooked in the best style of 

 the hunter' s art. It was coated with clay all over, by rub- 

 bing the sticky, putty-like substance into the coarse, long 



