THE WAPITI 
migration, and the chorus emitted by a large number of amorous males 
must have been very interesting music. The males are very truculent 
and pugnacious, and probably fight more consistently than red deer, but 
not to such an extent as caribou. 
In the rutting season the herds are in a constant state of turmoil during 
this period of love and war, and it is most probable that during three 
weeks or a month the bulls do not eat at all and so rapidly lose their con- 
dition. When two bulls meet to fight they lock and endeavour to push each 
other down hill. The heaviest bull and not the one with the best horns 
is usually the winner. In fact, the best horned red deer, wapiti and caribou 
are as a rule dreadful cowards, and the very fact that they are fearful 
to possess a harem makes them grow their fine ornaments. A male deer 
that has few opportunities for sexual enjoyment always comes out of the 
rut in good condition, whilst the battered warrior with many wives is a 
mere skeleton. I have seen this many times in parks and have noticed 
that the champion head was generally a fearful coward and kept well out 
of the way when fighting was going on. 
Wapiti, like red deer, are very rarely killed or seriously injured in these 
autumnal fights, and the only time there is real danger in a blow is when 
one of the combatants turns to flight. Old stags are occasionally killed 
in not turning quickly enough, and one blow over the heart is sufficient 
to produce death. Quite one -half of the stags I have known to be killed in a 
certain park owed their deaths to fighting up against the iron park rails. 
The unfortunate one would suddenly forget that there was an impassable 
obstacle at his side and he would turn in that direction and be held for a 
fraction of a second. In that moment, the blow was given on his side 
by his rival and he died very soon afterwards. In deer thus killed not any 
external injury is visible, but the area of the wound beneath the skin is 
often very large. 
Wapiti are very savage in confinement and cannot be permitted the 
freedom enjoyed by red deer, but in a wild state they will not charge a 
man as moose will sometimes do. Colonel Roosevelt gives two instances 
of wapiti bulls charging hunters, but I do not think they are convincing. 
In almost every old book the wounded grizzly bear is supposed to charge, 
whilst if we had the exact truth, it would in nearly every instance be found 
that the bear was merely retreating by the easiest route available. The 
behaviour of the wapiti in question may have been similar. 
The great problem that faces those who wish to preserve the wapiti 
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