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antlers; and it is not to be doubted that the bulk 
of the body muft have been proportionable to the 
fize of the horns. As to the nnore noble animals, 
Nature obferves a perfe6t fymmetry; and it would 
be unjuft to fuppole thatfhe failed in this particu- 
lar inftance. 
A young female, kept a few years fmce at the 
late Marquis of Rockingham's at Parfons Green, 
is thus defcribed by the ingenious Pennant. ' It 
was about a year old, and meafured five feet, or fif- 
teen hands, to the top of the withers; the head 
alone was two feet long; the length of the animal, 
from the nofe to the tail, was about feven feet ; the 
neck was much fhorter than the head ; the mane was 
thick, fhort, ereft, and of a light brown colour; 
the eyes were finall; the ears were one foot long, 
very broad, and flouching; the noflrils were very 
■ large; the upper lip, which was fquare, projefted 
fconfiderably over the lower; and in the middle 
there was a fulcus, fo deep as to appear almoft bi- 
fid: the nofe was broad; under the throat there was 
a fmall excrefcence, from whence depended a long 
tuft of coarfe black hair; the withers were very 
high; the fot^e-legs were three feet three inches 
long, and from the bottonn of the hoofs to tlie 
end of the tibia two feet four inches; the hind- 
legs were much fhorter than the fore ones; the 
hoofs were very much cloven ; and the tail was very 
fliort, duiky above, and white beneath^ The co- 
lour of the body in general v/as a hoary black; 
but about the face there was a greater portion of 
grey than in any other place.' This animal, which 
was brought from North America, was called the 
Moofe-Deer. A male of this fpecies, and the 
horns of others, having been imported into Eng- 
land of late years, prove this creaturCj on compar- 
ing it's horns with thofe of the European Elk, to 
be one and the fame animal. 
As the female animal above defcribed was only 
one year old, we may reafonably conclude that the 
Moofe-Deer, efpecially in America, grow to an 
enormous fize. Neverthelefs, the accounts given 
by Jocelyn and Dudley of the fize of the American 
Moofe-Deer feem to be greatly exaggerated ; the 
former alTerting, that fome are found twelve feet 
high, and the latter making it eleven: however, 
Charlevoix and others defcribe it as being of the 
fize of the horfe, or the Auvergne mule, which is 
a very large fpecies ; and Jocelyn and Dudley have 
probably been too credulous, with refpe£t to the 
relations of thofe hunters and Indians who were 
fond of the marvellous. It is indeed certain, that 
the Elk is common to both continents; and that 
the American one, having the advantage of rang- 
ing in more extenfive forefi;Sj and of more luxuri- 
ant food, grows to a larger fize than the European. 
In all quarters of the world, however, it is timid 
and gentle, content with it's pafture, and unwilling 
to difturb any other animal when it cart obtain a 
fupply for itfelf. 
In the year 1742, a ferinale! of* the European kind 
■was exhibited at Paris, which was caught in a fo- 
reft of Red Ruflia. Though then young, it was 
fix feet feven inches high; frorh the tip of the nofe 
to the infertion of the tail, it was ten feet; and the 
eircumference of the body was eight feet. The 
hair, which was long and coarfe, refembled that of 
the boar; the ears were eighteen inches long^ and 
not unlike thofe of the mule; under the throat 
there was a beard like that of the goat; a bone, as 
large as an egg, projefted in the middle of the 
forehead between the horns; and it made ufc of it's 
fore-feet as a defence from the afiaults of it's ene- 
mies. It's exhibiters afferted, that it ran and fwam 
with aftonifliing fwiftnefs, and that it was extremely 
fond of water. It's daily allowance of food was 
thirty pounds of bread, befides hay ; and it's beve- 
rage about eight pails of water. It was docile and 
familiar, and fufficiently fubmifTive to it's owner. 
The foregoing account circumftantially differs 
from that we have received of the Moofe, or Ame- 
rican Elk. Of this there are two kinds, namely, the 
common light grey Moofe, which is not very large; 
and the black Moofe, which grows to an enormous 
height. Dudley obferves, that a certain female 
of the black Mooie kind, of the age of four years, 
was within one inch of feven feet high. How- 
ever, all animals of this kind have flat palmated 
horns : at the head there Is a fhort trunk, but it 
foon fpreads to at leafl a foot in breadth, and is 
furniflied with a kind of fmall antlers like teeth on 
one of the edges. In this particular all animals 
of the Elk kind agree, as well the European Elk 
as the grey and black Moofe-Deer* 
Thefe animals delight in cold couritries, feed- 
ing on grafs in fummer, and on the bark of trees 
in winter. When the ground is wholly covered 
with deep fnow, the Moofe-Deeer herd together 
Under tall pine-trees, from which they flrip the 
bark, and remain always in thofe parts of the fo- 
refis which yield them that kind of fubfiftence. 
At thefe feafons the natives prepare to hunt them; 
and particularly when the fun begins to melt the 
fnow by day, and is frozen again at nighty for 
then the icy crufl which covers the furface of the 
fnow is too weak to fupport their weight, and there- 
fore retards the motions of the animals. The In- 
dians nofooner perceive aherd of them at a difbance, 
than they prepare for the purluit of one of them; 
which is not, as in fome countries, the amufementof 
an hour, but is attendedwithtoil, difiiculty, and dan- 
ger. The timorous animal, on obferving the firil ap- 
proach of it's enemies, immediately endeavours to 
efcape, but finks at every ftep. Still, however, it 
purfues it's courfe maugre a thoufand obftacles: 
the fnow, which is often upwards of four feet deep.j 
yields to it's prefTure, and impedes it's fpeed; the 
lharp ice wounds it's feet; and it's towering horns 
are frequently entangled in the branches of trees 5 
thefe, however, are broken down by the animal with 
facility; and, in whatever path the Moofe-Deer 
runs, it is eafily traced by the continual fnapping 
of thefe branches. In this manner the chace is 
fometimes continued for a whole day; and, at 
others, for two or more fucceffive days ; the pur- 
fuers being often no lefs excited by famine, than the 
purfued accelerated by fear. Perfeverance, how- 
ever, generally fucceeds; and the Indian who firfl 
comes near eno\igh, darts his lance at the Moofe-- 
Deer with unerring aim, which fticking in the poor 
creature's body, encreafcs it's efforts to efcape. 
The devoted animal now proceeds till it's purfuers 
once more overtake it, and the blow is repeated : 
on which it ao;ain fummons forth all it's remainino- 
vigour, in order to get a-head ; but being at lafl 
quite worn out through fatigue and lofs of blood, 
it finks at once, and becomes an eafy prey. 
The fiefli of the Moofe-Deer, which is extremely 
well tafled and nutritive, well repays the exertions 
of the hunters. The hide is ftrOng, and fo thicky 
tliat it is generally bullet-proof; however, it is fbft 
Snd pliable; and, v/hen tanned, is exceedingly 
light, yet extremely durable. The fur is a light 
grey in fome, iand blackifh in others ; and, when 
3 L viewed 
