Natural History of the Hudson s Bay Territories. 19 



European representative we are still in doubt. The Scan- 

 dinavian elk is undoubtedly very near it, if not the same. 



The enormous palmation and weight of the horns in this 

 species is very striking. Colonel Smith says that the horns 

 sometimes weigh fifty pounds. The present specimen weighs 

 32 lb., but that is inclusive of the head. Sir J ohn Richardson, 

 in his account of the animal, records a statement relating to 

 the horus of deer which I think must have originated in some 

 curious mistake. Speaking of the moose deer, he says, — " It 

 is probable, however, that La Hontan in this passage con- 

 founds the Canada stag and moose deer together. He men- 

 tions the animal being able to run in the summer season for 

 three days and nights in succession, and the excellent flavour 

 of its flesh — facts which apply to the moose deer, but not to 

 the Canada stag ; on the other hand, the weight of the horns, 

 which he says sometimes amounts to four hundred weight, is 

 true only of the stag." Now, the Canada stag, or wapiti, is 

 the representative of the red deer in America, and was in- 

 deed long thought to be identical : it is a larger animal than 

 our stag, but smaller than the moose, which is as high as a 

 horse. Large specimens of the male moose are mentioned, 

 which have attained a weight of eleven or twelve hundred 

 pounds ; and is it possible that a smaller animal should have 

 horns weighing four hundred weight % I suspect a cypher 

 has been added, and that we should read 40 lb. instead of 

 400, which would then make it clear that the animal referred 

 to by La Hontan was the moose. With regard to the moose 

 being able to run for three days and nights in succession, an 

 instance of its doing so is recorded in the narrative of Captain 

 Franklin's second journey, where three hunters pursued a 

 moose deer for four successive days, until the footsteps of the 

 deer were marked with blood, although they had not yet got 

 a view of it. At this period of the pursuit, the principal 

 hunter had the misfortune to sprain his ankle, and the two 

 others were tired out ; but one of them having rested for 

 twelve hours, set out again, and succeeded in killing the 

 animal, after a further pursuit of two days' continuance. 

 The cause of the footsteps being marked with blood might be 

 from the phalanges of the hoof splitting, or possibly from the 



