12 MAMMALS OF UTAH 



cow other than his mate. Only the eagle excells him in 

 this respect, for death alone can sever its marriage tie. 



The enemies of the moose are man, deer-flies, ticks, dis- 

 ease, deep snow, wolves, bears and mountain lions. 



Dr. Hornaday informs me that it is strange that a 

 forest-loving, brush-eating, water-frequenting animal like 

 the moose ever could elect to settle down in Utah, but that 

 the presence of a limited number in this state is fairly 

 beyond question. 



WAPITI: AMERICAN ELK 



CERVUS CANADENSIS (Erxleben) 



Cervus elephus canadensis Erxl., Syst. Regn. Anim., 1, 1777, 



p. 305. 

 Cervus strongyloceros Schreb., Saugth., pi. ccxLvll, 1792. 

 Cervus wapiti Barton, Am. Phil. Trans., 1869, p. 70. 

 Cervus canadensis Elliot, Syn. N. Am. Mamm., F. C. M. Pub. 



11, 1901,'p. 34, Zool. Ser. 



Description — Body color of young bull, brownish gray, 

 a little darker along the spine, and becoming dark chestnut 

 or brown on head, neck and legs, and reddish brown or 

 sienna color on breast and belly. The inside and lower back 

 part of ears, a patch around the eye, a spot on each side of 

 the lower lip, a spot under the jaw, are very pale brown or 

 dull brownish white ; the disk or rump patch is very large, of 

 a pale, buffy white, and continued above the tail, which is of 

 the same color ; bordering this patch in front, on each ham, 

 is a brownish black stripe that nearly fades out towards the 

 spine where it joins its fellow. (Seton.) 



At the State Capitol building. Salt Lake City, is a fine 

 mounted male specimen, with pelage almost white. The 

 males frequently thus appear in spring, the summer colors 

 being richer and darker. Seton says that the word "wapiti" 

 is supposed to come from the Algonkin roots wab, white, 

 and atik, deer. The females in the summer resemble the 

 males in color; and the fawns are yellowish spotted with 

 white. 



Dr. William T. Hornaday measured a fine bull in the 

 New York Zoological Park, finding its height at the shoul- 

 ders 561/2 inches, length of head, body and tail, 86%, inches. 

 Its hve weight was 706 pounds. 



