ELK. 
173 
'the middle,, and at the roots perfectly white. That 
of the female is of a sandy brown, but whitish 
under the throat, belly, and flank. The upper 
lip is square, very broad, deeply furrowed, and 
hangs much over the mouth ; the nose is broad, and 
the nostrils extremely large and wide. The horns, 
which are found only on the males, have no brow- 
antlers, and the palms are extremely broad. They 
are shed annually, and some have been seen that 
weighed upwards of sixty pounds. 
The legs of the elks are so long, and their necks 
so short, that they cannot graze on level ground, 
like other animals, but are obliged to browze the 
tops of large plants, and the leaves or branches of 
trees. 
In all their actions and attitudes they appear very 
uncouth, and when disturbed never run, but only 
make off in a kind of trot, which the length of 
their legs enables them to do with great swiftness, 
and apparently with much ease. In their common 
walk they lift their feet very high, and they are 
able, without any difficulty, to step over a gate five 
feet in height. 
Their faculty of hearing is supposed to be more 
acute than either their sight or scent, which renders 
it very difficult to kill them in the summer time, 
and the Indians have then no other method of 
doing this, but by creeping after them among the 
trees and bushes, till they get within gun shot. In 
winter, when the snow is so hard frozen that the 
natives can go upon it in their snow-shoes, they 
are able frequently to run them down, for their 
slender legs break through the snow at every step, 
and plunge them up to the belly. They are so ten- 
der-footed, and so short-winded, that a good runner 
will generally tire them in less than a day ; there 
have been some, however, that have kept the hunt- 
ers in chase for two. days. On these occasions the 
