3o6 



THE OLD-WORLD ELK 



nearly all the elk of Courland, as well as many 

 domestic cattle, and in more recent years Livonia 

 and East Prussia lost many animals from the same 

 cause. ^ 



Kapherr describes among other insect pests 

 which attack the elk an "elk fly" {Ornithohia 

 pallida) which torments the animals severely, 

 especially in summer and early fall. The same 

 insect attacks men. It is like a louse, and is with 

 difficulty combed from the hair, while the sting 

 causes serious inflammation. Elk hunters in 

 Russia are advised to wear their hair cut short, for 

 this reason.^ These and many other species of 

 ticks and parasitic insects which persecute the 

 elk are annoying, but not dangerous to the life of 

 the animals. They first secure a lodgment in 

 the hair, and then attack the skin and suck the 

 Wood. It is said the moose birds, or Canada 

 jays, in America sometimes come to the relief 

 of the moose by catching and devouring such 

 insects. 



The worst insect pests with which elk have to 

 contend are certain varieties of bot-flies. These 

 include the Cephenomyia ulrichii and Pharyngomyia 

 picta. The first of these, commonly called Hum-' 



» Kapherr, Das Elchwild (BerUn^ 1908), pp. 44, 50. 

 9 Ubi supra, p. 36. 



