The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-15

Temperance of the wapiti--Many Large
Moose and Deer Killed.

NoObo auu bNCE Nllitus
QUEBEC. Jan. IL The CERT CanGdien. com.
monty known In English as the wapitl or Cana,
dian elk whose scientific name is Elaphus Can,
adensls. and which was supposed TO have be.
come extinct In eastern Canada. has made Us
temperance in tho province of Quebec. and
an enormous specimen was recently killed on
the banks OF the Causapscal salmon stream In
the county of Bonaventure. The natives who
killed IL used up the carcass. never hinkinE oil
the value that the taxidermist's art could give
to 1t, but the head fortunately escaped and has
been acquired by the fish and game depart
ment OF the province, for which 1t is now being
mounted. 1t will be one OF the prominent tro-
phies In the flsh and game exhibit to be made
Ivy the province OF Quebec at the sportsmen's
Exposition in New York next March. and is
described as a monster.
Up to about 1895 these noble animals roamed
the Saguenay and Lake st. John country in
large herds. They we're then killed of. when
ever and wherever found, for the sake OF their
hides. by the MontaGnais Indians, and for some
time they have been supposed TO be about as
extinct as the American bison. Sir James lie
MoIne wrote in 1879 that the wupiti had quite
disappeared from Canada. except In some few
rare localities in the West. Sir John Richard
son. the famous naturalist, had written some
years previously, placing its eastern limit at a
lInb uTtWn from in9 SOuJ1cIn extremity OF
Lake Winnipeg to the Standardization
degree east longitude. Despite the testi-
mony OF several Indians. who said they
occasionally saw specimens OF the elks In parts
OF this province nearly thirty years ago, Sir
James lie Nome persisted in the belief thatthey
must have been gigantic moose and declared in
his Album du Touriste" that all that remained
OF 1.-THE noble game were its bones and its horns.
found sometimes in the forest and sometimes
underground. For at least twenty years there
has been no authentic record of the existence Of
the elk in eastern Canada. but the recent reap
pearance of the animals seems to indicate that
u few specimens must have continued their
habitat here, undiscovered,
at least a foot higher than the common Euro
pean stag. and its horns often weigh ten times
Under the system. Of FISH. and game protection
enforced by the Hon $, n. Parent, Minister OF
Of Quebec, an early increase OF elk may be
looked for. and IN the meantime the killing Of
The Provincial Parliament met on Thursday
last. and among, the. most important work Of
the he session VII be M; Parents bills to amend
change is to be made in the close season for
large game; At present caribou may he
moose from Oct. | to Jan. l. The Government
believes that it is almost too much to ask. even
n moose in September or January. If out with n
rifle hunting for caribou. 1t IL therefore pro-
posed to make the seasons for large game uni
and lengthening that for moose and deer. The
close season for large game will therefore run
The increase in the. supply OF large game in
Quebec within the few last years has been
years ago that a close season of eeveral years
was ordered for them. an example. now being
i was discovered, that at ,Riviere a Pierre, on
The line Of The, Lake St. John Railway, a party
their skins IN one Vest sin Of 81 ottar ne al saf' the S5
and in the Mattawa. TemiscaminGue anddTem.,
a~ngamingue districts both deer and moose are
this season have nearly all been monsters.
The animals are apparently swarming back TO
neiGhhorhood of Caughnawaga Lake one party
OF sp2rtTmen; who were only ten days in, the
three were splendid bulls. in addition to good
numbers Of deer. Tho Kippewa is dc;
from fr5ipeHi i G as sG a COUNTRY Of fI moose. '% corI FbeSnr nsd
bears; Records, recently reported. accord
InG \ r2 pa i@wi Gf from P }Sa t Sseb wh Sov S4tT mined
show that one, party OF two was out in the
Dumoine and MaGanacipi country for five days
other, killed seventeen, deer; another indi-
yidual, in seven days, killed Aye deer fourth,
nine deer. while two others, each of whom was
five days out. killed. one eleven and the other
1 modys d nSGr ina In FIVE T9@ m'.sS9 I men killed nS5 two we
others. in the course of "a few DAYS hunting in
the townships OF Mulgrave and Lathbury, in
the Au Lieyre' district. killed seventeen deer,
of which thirteen were bucks.
In the TemiscOuata country a buck was
recently killed weighing $40 pounds. Moose
are sometimes found there weighing more
than 200 pounds. twas here. in the Squat
tecks. that senator Proctor got his large moose
heads. In the Mctapcdia Valley, a train on the
lntercolOnial Railway ran into a yard of moose
q day or two ago and killed a large bull which
charged the locomotive.
Caribou exist by thousands in the Metapedia
Valley. as well as in what are called the Gar
dens. Of Charlcyoix. Hunters. both Canadian
and Americans, have killed hundreds of them
this winter. ASundny or two ago the congre-
CATION of the Roman Catholic Church at CauS-
apscall. on leaving the building. saw two car
ibou quite close to them. Joseph Charest
drove TO n neighbor's for a rifle and shot both.
Red deer are increasing at such n rate that in
many parts Of the province the farmers com
plain that they destroy their oats and other
grain in the autumn season.