90 
ELK. 
animal was not more than a few steps from where we stood : our gun 
was levelled in an instant, and we pulled trigger, but the cap did not ex- 
plode. The Elk was startled by the noise of the falling hammer, and 
wheeling round, throwing up the loose soil with his hoofs, galloped off 
among the willows towards the river, making a clear path through 
the small trees and grass. We ran to intercept him, but were too late, 
and on reaching the bank the Elk was already far out in the stream, 
swimming rapidly with its shoulders and part of its back above water. 
On the opposite shore there was a narrow beach, and the moment the 
Elk touched the bottom, it sprang forward and in a bound or two was 
out of sight behind the fringing margin of trees on the shore. This, we 
are sorry to say, was the only Elk we had an opportunity of firing at 
whilst on our last western expedition. 
The pair from which the figures on our plate were taken we purchased 
at Philadelphia : they had been caught when young in the western part of 
Pennsylvania ; the male was supposed to be four or five years old, and 
the female also was full grown. These Elks were transported from Phil- 
adelphia to our place near New-York, and we had a capacious and high 
enclosure made for them. The male retained much of its savage habits 
when at liberty, but the female was quite gentle. When she was first 
put in the pen, where the buck was already pacing round seeking for a 
weak point in the enclosure, he rushed towards her, and so terrified her 
that she made violent exertions to escape, and ran at full speed with her 
head up and her nostrils distended, round and round, until we had the 
large box in which she had been brought up from Philadelphia placed in 
the enclosure, when she entered it as a place of refuge, and with her head 
towards the opening stood on her defence, on which the male gave up the 
pursuit, and this box was afterwards resorted to whenever she wished to 
be undisturbed. 
We had some difficulty in taking the bridle off from the head of the buck, 
as he kicked and pranced furiously whenever any one approached for that 
purpose, and we were forced to secure his head by means of a lasso over 
his horns, and drawing him by main force to a strong post, when one of 
our men cut the leather with a knife. 
While these two Elks were kept by us they were fed on green oats, hay, 
Indian corn, and all such food as generally is given to the cow, excepting 
turnips, which they would not touch. 
We found that the pair daily ate as much food as would have sufficed 
for two horses. They often whistled (as the hunters call this remarka- 
ble noise, which in calm weather can be heard nearly a mile) ; this shrill 
sound appears to be produced by an almost spasmodic effort, during which 
