THE MOOSE OR FLAT-HORNED ELK 
would number a few hundreds instead of many thousands, and like most 
authors he does not love obscurity. The primrose path of success is dear 
to him and he has achieved it by means of such charming works as “ The 
Lives of the Hunted,” “ The Sandhill Stag,” etc. On the other hand, Mr 
Seton can write real natural history when he likes and has given us one 
first-rate book, namely, ‘‘Life Histories of Northern Animals,” which is 
so good in every way that it is not surprising that it is practically unknown 
in this country. His article on the moose is admirable, but I must entirely 
disagree with him in one statement (p. 175), to the effect that ‘‘All ob- 
servers agree that the Scandinavian moose is monogamous, which is strong 
side -evidence, since the species is so closely related to our own. Finally, 
most of the hunters I have consulted, as well as Judge Caton, the leading 
authority on American deer, say, unhesitatingly, that the American 
moose is a strictly monogamous animal.” 
This, however, is not by any means the experience of those hunters who 
were best qualified to speak, and with whom I have discussed the subject. 
A beast cannot be said to be strictly monogamous that roams from one 
charmer to another during the course of a season, as nearly all Scandi- 
navian hunters say they do. It is only monogamous whilst attached to one 
particular wife. Moreover, I have met one Lapp hunter and one moose 
hunter who had seen bull elk accompanied by two cows in the height of 
the rut. Again, Albert, the Liard Indian hunter, who accompanied me in 
Gassiar in 1908, said he has seen it several times, although it is unusual. 
Mr Thompson Seton himself states that “ most of the hunters in Manitoba 
and on the Ottawa Mountains maintain that the bull roves from one cow’s 
range to another, and will mate with many in the season, though he is 
rarely (?) seen with more than one cow at the time.” This, I think, is a 
correct view. The bull moose or elk stays in most instances with one 
cow for a brief period, and either leaves her voluntarily or is driven away 
by the female, who does not permit his attentions for any lengthened 
period. It is likely that she does not long remain in season. We see that 
this must be the case by the fact that numbers of adult bulls are to 
be found roaming in search of wives during the height of the rut, and 
will come readily to the female cry when uttered by the skilful hunter. 
The reason why the females themselves come to this call is somewhat 
difficult to explain, and it is possible that she may even desire to share 
her position with another. 
Both caribou and red deer, particularly the former, will frequently 
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