88 
ELK. 
mediately a desperate battle ensues. The furious combatants sway back- 
wards and forwards, sideways or in circles, each struggling to get with- 
in the other’s poiirt, twisting their brawny necks, and writhing as they 
endeavour to throw their opponent off the ground. At length our valorous 
Elk triumphs and gores the other, so that he is worsted in the fight, and 
turns ingloriously and flies, leaving the field and the females in posses- 
sion of the victor : for should there be any young Elks present during such 
a combat, they generally run off. 
The victorious buck now ranges the tangled woods or leads the does 
to the sand-bars or the willow-covered points along the broad stream. 
After a certain period, howevei’, he leaves them to other bucks, and to- 
wards the latter part of F ebruary his antlers drop off, his body is much 
emaciated, and he retires to some secluded spot, where he hopes no ene- 
mies will discover him, as he is no longer vigorous and bold, and would 
dread to encounter even a single wolf. 
When we first settled (as it is termed) in the State of Kentucky, some 
of these animals were still to be met with ; but at present we believe none 
are to be found within hundreds of miles of our then residence. During 
a journey we made through the lower part of the State, armed as usual 
with our double-barrelled gun, whilst passing through a heavy-timbered 
tract not far from Smithland at the mouth of the Cumberland River, we 
espied two Elks, a male and female, which started out of a thicket not 
more than forty or fifty yards from us. Our gun being loaded with balls, 
we fired successfully and brought down the buck. The tavern keeper at 
Smithland went after the animal with a wagon and brought him into the 
little village. The hunters in the neiglibourhood said they had not seen 
or heard of Elks in that part of the State for several years, although 
some were to be found across the Ohio, in the state of Illinois- 
At the time we are writing (1847) the Elk is not seen in any numbers 
until you ascend the Missouri River for a great distance. In that part of 
the country, where the points in the river are well covered with wood 
and under-brush, they are to be found at times in considerable numbers. 
These animals however do not confine themselves to the neighbourhood of 
the water-courses, but roam over the prairies in large herds. Unless 
disturbed or chased, they seldom leave a secluded retreat in a thickly- 
wooded dell, except to go to the river to drink, or sun themselves on the 
sand-bars. They are partial to the islands covered with willow, cotton 
wood, &c., and fringed with long grass, upon which they make a bed 
during the hot sultry hours of the day. They also form a bed occa- 
sionally in the top of a fallen tree. 
During hot weather, when mosquitoes abound in the woods, they re- 
