TRAITS AND HABITS OF THE MOOSE 91 



ing a canvas lean-to, blankets, extra clothing, 

 and provisions for a supper and breakfast. When 

 in the middle of the barren we noticed two moose 

 standing in the edge of the sparse timber which 

 fringed the broad open bog. We had no glass, 

 but the guide, with younger eyes than his employer, 

 was sure he saw antlers on both heads. 



It was a long shot. I had killed a dozen moose 

 before that, but had perhaps never fired at one at 

 much more than half this distance. It seemed 

 to be more than four hundred yards. I had 

 targetted my rifle at various measured ranges 

 up to three hundred yards, so I threw off my pack 

 and raised the rear sight to the three hundred 

 yards' mark. The wide expanse of hardback 

 and low white alders which covered the bog would 

 hide the moose from view if I tried a knee rest, 

 so standing up and aiming from the shoulder, but 

 holding for a point just over the moose's back, I 

 pulled the trigger. Both animals at once started, 

 and ran toward us. It seemed a strange maneuver 

 on their part. They came diagonally about fifty 

 yards nearer, and stopped. I fired again, at the 

 same one as before, but they stood rigid. A 

 third shot, aiming high as before, caused my moose 

 to make a convulsive movement, which told me 

 that I had scored a hit. He ran back, soon stopping 



