48 
ELK. 
erful virtue in the hoof* it has been celebrated by 1 
them as a remedy in the falling sickness. The 
patient is directed to apply it to his heart, holding 
it at the same time in his left hand, and to con- 
clude the ceremony with it by imitating the elk. 
They likewise pulverize the hoof and drink it in 
water, for the cure of the colic, pleurisy, vertigo, 
and purple fever. They believe him to be a beast 
of good omen, and that those who dream often of 
the elk may flatter themselves with long life. 
The elk and the moose-deer is the same animal, 
only known by the former name in Europe, and by 
the latter in America. 
The elk is provided with amazing horns ; the 
largest Mr. Pennant ever saw weighed fifty-six 
pounds, the length thirty-two inches ; they mea- 
sured between tip and tip thirty-four inches, and 
the breadth of the palm was thirteen and a half. 
This palmated part is frequently excavated by the 
savages, and converted into ladles which will hold 
a pint. The brow antlers are wanting. The nos- 
trils are large, the eyes small, and the ears long and 
slouching like an ass’s. A remarkable deep fur- 
row appears in the middle of the upper lip, which 
hangs far over the lower one. Along the top of the 
neck runs a short, thick, upright mane, of a light 
brown colour. The hind legs are the longest, the 
hoofs much cloven, the tail short, and the body 
compact, and of a dark brown colour. The greatest 
height of the elk is about seventeen hands, and it 
has been known to weigh 1229 pounds. 
