THE FOOT. . 243 
The form of the foot combines with other causes elsewhere 
mentioned to establish a line, which separates our deer into two 
divisions. 
The first, embracing the moose, the wapiti, and the two species 
of caribou, which have shorter, broader, and flatter hoofs than 
the second, which embraces the mule deer, the Columbia deer, 
the Virginia deer, and the Acapulco deer, which have higher, 
longer, and narrower feet. 
The hoofs of the Moose are not remarkably large, considering 
the size of the animal, and would seem to be less than would be 
convenient for him in the deep snows of winter and the soft 
marshy grounds which he affects in summer. They are not long 
but broad, and convex at the outer edges. They spread only less 
than those of the caribou. The hoofs themselves ae not rigidly 
attached, but have considerable involuntary motion, when the foot 
is lifted from the ground, especially if the animal is traveling 
fast, so that they strike together at every step, producing a loud 
clacking noise, which the hunters used to ascribe to the cracking 
of the joints. 
The hind hoofs or dew claws, as they are often called in this 
country, are rather loosely attached and are far apart. The foot 
has more spread than any of the other species, except the car- 
ibou. 
Our Elk has a neat and well shaped foot, longer and narrower 
than the ox in proportion to his size. It is convex at the lower 
outer edge. The false or hind hoofs are small and point well 
downward, never touching the ground unless it is very soft, so 
that the track is deeply impressed. : 
The foot of the Caribou has more remarkable characteristics 
than any other of the deer family, and is peculiarly adapted to 
sustain it in snows and in soft swampy ground. The hoof is 
large and very broad, maintaining its breadth well to the point. 
The cleft between the toes extends far up, and enables the foot 
to spread so as to expose a large bearing surface, so that the foot 
at some times appears nearly twice as large as at others, and the 
imprint in soft ground is so much larger than on a hard surface, 
as to require the eye of a practical hunter to recognize the track 
as made by the same animal. Each hoof is surrounded with an 
abundance of coarse stiff hairs extending quite down the cleft, 
which add to the bearing surface when the animal is traveling 
over soft material. The hind or accessory hoofs on this animal 
are of real use, which will be readily appreciated upon careful 
