348 



THE OLD-WORLD ELK 



reason scratches his scalp behind the ear with the 

 hoof until the blood flows, seeking relief. Never- 

 theless Dahms quotes Bock as recommending the 

 hoof of the right hind foot of the elk to cure this 

 very ailment in men. 



Many of us have seen a wounded moose, in 

 extremis, striking rapidly, viciously, aimlessly, 

 and perhaps only half consciously with his fore 

 hoofs as he lies helpless on the ground and sees the 

 dreaded hunter close at hand. It is this spasmodic 

 movement, which is quite characteristic of the 

 wounded moose, and which resembles the con- 

 vulsions of an epileptic, that perhaps gave rise to 

 the epilepsy fable. But this belief did not begin 

 with Magnus and Gesner, nor end with Bock. It 

 gained wider currency, and lived more persistently, 

 than any other misbelief associated with any species 

 of animal. 



Lithuania was long the seat of an industry in 

 healing tokens in which the hoof of the elk was 

 employed, and the traffic extended as far as Italy. 

 Rings were made from the horn substance of the 

 hoof, and worn on the ring finger of the left hand, 

 or pieces of the hoof were set in rings of gold and 

 worn so that the curative medium would be in 

 contact with the skin. Sometimes too the remedy 



