1908.] 



MAMMALS. 



133 



along the lower Nahanni, and two of the animals were started in the 

 vicinity early in June. Though tracks were often observed, no more 

 of the animals were seen until we reached the lower Mackenzie. 

 During the evening of June 28, while paddling down the Mackenzie, 

 a few miles below the site of old Fort Good Hope, we saw three moose. 

 Early in the evening a cow and her young calf were seen to take to 

 the water at some distance below us, and start across the river. We 

 let them get well into the stream and then paddled swiftly after them. 

 When they discovered us they first made several undecided moves 

 and then attempted to regain the shore they had just quitted. The 

 mother accommodated her speed to that of her calf, and did not 

 leave it until we had approached within 30 yards. She then started 

 for the shore, and on reaching it trotted away into the forest after a 

 momentary survey of the situation. The little one was by this time 

 nearly exhausted. We gently forced it ashore and held it until it had 

 somewhat recovered its strength and breath, then heading it back 

 along the river bank, we left it to rejoin its mother. A^^ien we last 

 saw it the little creature was trotting up the shore, occasionally utter- 

 ing a querulous cry to attract her attention. 



A few miles below here a large bull moose was seen on a sandbar at 

 the lower end of a willow-covered island. He shortly entered the wil- 

 lows without perceiving us, and hoping to get a close view of him, I 

 landed and ran toward the place. He soon came into sight again, when 

 I took to the brush and easily approached within 200 yards. As he 

 started up the shore in my direction I crouched behind a willow sap- 

 ling and awaited his approach. I was really in plain sight, but he 

 was totally unaware of my presence and I had a good chance to ob- 

 serve his movements. He approached at a slow trot, occasionally snip- 

 ping off the tender tip of a willow, and was passing within 50 feet 

 when I stood up and attracted his attention. He instantly whirled 

 about and plunging into the water swam across the narrow channel to 

 the main shore. Here he made several attempts to climb the high 

 bank, but failing, again took to the water, and disappeared around 

 a point. 



Moose are fairly common in the vicinity of Fort McPherson, where 

 one hunter was said to have killed ten during the preceding winter. 

 The natives of this section generally run down the animals on snow- 

 shoes when the snow is deep. 



While we were ascending the Mackenzie by steamer, a band of three 

 moose was observed on the right bank of the Mackenzie 50 miles below 

 Fort Simpson. Another individual was seen on the Athabaska below 

 Poplar Point on August 8. 



In the mountains west of the Mackenzie, where the snow becomes 

 very deep during some seasons, moose are said to form yards, but they 

 do not seem to have this habit in other parts of the region. 



