﻿THE 
  MOOSE. 
  

  

  CERVUS 
  ALCES. 
  

  

  The 
  accompanying 
  lithograph 
  is 
  after 
  a 
  drawing 
  by 
  Swinton^ 
  

   from 
  the 
  grand 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  Cabinet, 
  which 
  was 
  killed 
  

   in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Ohio, 
  Herkimer 
  county, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  

   January, 
  1851, 
  by 
  hunters 
  in 
  the 
  employ 
  of 
  Mr. 
  James 
  A. 
  Hurst, 
  

   State 
  Taxidermist, 
  and 
  w^as 
  by 
  him 
  set 
  up 
  and 
  prepared 
  for 
  the 
  

   State. 
  

  

  The 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Feet. 
  Inohae. 
  

  

  Length 
  from 
  point 
  of 
  nose 
  to 
  root 
  of 
  tail, 
  10 
  2 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  tail, 
  8 
  

  

  Height 
  at 
  shoulder, 
  6 
  3 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  moose 
  is 
  copied 
  from 
  De 
  Kay's 
  

   Zoology 
  of 
  New- 
  York 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  summer, 
  the 
  moose 
  frequents 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  lakes 
  

   and 
  streams, 
  frequently 
  swimming 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  feeding 
  upon 
  

   aquatic 
  plants, 
  among 
  which 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  lily 
  appear 
  to 
  

   be 
  most 
  greedily 
  devoured. 
  It 
  also 
  feeds 
  upon 
  the 
  high 
  coarse 
  

   grasses, 
  twags 
  of 
  trees, 
  more 
  especially 
  of 
  the 
  striped 
  maple, 
  

   {^Acer 
  striatum^ 
  Pursh,) 
  which 
  has 
  consequently 
  received 
  the 
  

   name 
  of 
  Moose-wood. 
  It 
  likewise 
  peels 
  old 
  trees, 
  and 
  feeds 
  upon 
  

   the 
  bark. 
  Period 
  of 
  gestation, 
  nine 
  months 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  produces 
  one 
  

   or 
  two 
  at 
  a 
  birth, 
  in 
  April 
  or 
  May. 
  

  

  In 
  winter, 
  the 
  moose 
  herd 
  together 
  for 
  mutual 
  protection, 
  se- 
  

   lecting 
  hilly 
  woods, 
  and 
  feeding 
  exclusively 
  on 
  young 
  twigs 
  and 
  

   the 
  moss 
  and 
  bark 
  of 
  trees. 
  These 
  herds 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  bull, 
  a 
  cow 
  

   and 
  two 
  calves 
  ; 
  sometimes 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  cows, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  more 
  

   rare. 
  Occasionally 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  herds 
  unite, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  

  

  