TRAITS AND HABITS OF THE ELK 313 



when the antlers were growing and when they 

 were cast, he seemingly suffered much discomfort, 

 and lost a quantity of blood, but recovered his 

 health and spirits quickly. 



Complaints were made of the elk's misdemeanors 

 by certain beggars who made a practice of carrying 

 the proceeds of their mendicancy in sacks on their 

 back. The elk considered himself entitled to a 

 share of the charitable gifts, and whenever he 

 saw anyone with such a sack he ran to him, seized 

 the sack and pulled at it until the bearer was 

 thrown down, unless the latter preferred to sur- 

 render the sack voluntarily. The elk would put 

 his nose in the sack and make short work of the 

 contents, and then seek another victim. After 

 these complaints the highway robber was kept in 

 confinement, but often escaped through a gate 

 carelessly left open. The beggars soon learned to 

 protect themselves from the elk's attacks by pro- 

 viding themselves with dry bread crusts for the 

 robber, and keeping the sack out of sight.^"* 



In his relations with dogs the elk showed con- 

 siderable tact. If they surrounded him and 



*4 A Russian writer in Die Jagd (Berlin, Sept. 2, 1906) relates how a 

 tame elk, to gratify a fondness for mushrooms, would seek out peasant 

 women who were gathering mushrooms in the woods, and after putting 

 them to flight would eat the contents of the baskets which in their 

 anxiety to escape they left behind. 



