The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-10-15
LOCKED HORNS AND DIED.
That Were Inscparnbly Joined
in Death Struggle.

in Death Struggle.
Two big moose heads, securely
locked together with horns inter
twined, is a natural history curiosity
that for several days past has been
lying in the freight depot in this city,
says a recent issue of the Seattle
Times. The heads are rare specimens
and of great value aside even from
the fact that they are almost in
~separable, are so, in fact, unless vio-
lent means are used.
The moos heads arrived from Alas
ka on one of the steamers, consigned
to Capt. c. ID. Comings. They were
captured by Peter f. Wan, a hunter
and collector at Cooks Inlet. They
are destined probably for the Lon
don, England, Geological gardens, and
unless present negotiations are brok-
en- off, will be disposed of. The two
big moose, the mounted heads of
which will be a wonder for genera
ton Of people, fell victims to their
WI fury and folly. Capt. Comings
says that when Mr.. Wan was here
some time ago he told him about
them, and as Capt. Comings now re-
members, told him that the animals
were not yet dead when he found
them and that he put an end to their
misery by cutting their Threats. The
horns of these two gladiators of the
Alaskan forests became inextricably
locked while fighting. And what
fighting it was! Mr.. Wan told Capt.
Comings chat acres of ground had
been plowed up by their heavy
hoofs, rocks tumbled about and
shrubs laid waste as by a hurricane.
From the enormous size of the heads
and horns and the tremendous weight
of the latter, it is not hard to con-
ceive of the character of warfare two
such bull moose would make. The
measurements had not been taken by
Capt. Comings, but a third one which
he has just forwarded to the Field
Museum measured 76h inches across
from tip to tip of horns. The two
locked heads support equally as pow
erful horns, but they will not meas
ure quite the tremendous width above
named.
The blades are over a foot across
and each one supports from q dozen
to fourteen prongs, some of the lat
ter being of themselves greater in
size than a Texas COW horn. The
skulls from tip or nose to base of
skull are of great lenght, fully
Is inches, and are held so closely
fnOathar thot ,y1an ~, +Lo;, ,,,,o,4 1:eo
struggle the moose must scarcely
have been able to draw a full breath.
Without examination and a study of
the compact mass of horns one will
lind it hard to believe hal the two
animals actually became e%ntangled
and died in this manner while bat
Ting in the wilds. An attempt, how
ever, to disengage the horns will dis
pei any doubts, for without an ak or
sledge hammer it cannot be done, and
then might not be done without
breaking the horns. The horns were
sent down from Alaska without any
attempt at tieing or preventing them
from coming apart. They are in no
way packed and will probably be for
warded to destination in the same
ways.
But one side is entangled and yet
they are so firmly fastened that they
viii probably always SO remain. The
fact that not only London Geological
gardens are negotiating for them, but
also other museums, will dispel any
doubts that an attempt is being made
to deceive. There is one big prong
on n head that is crisscrossed and
imbedded in the crotch of two Others
on the opposite head in quite a mar
Vicious manner. That pressure seems
actually to have been so great as tic
have bent the one large prong.
OF the larger wild animals there
are none so ferocious at certain sea-
sons of the year as the moose and
elk, and none in America with enor.
NOUS strength they possess. Many
stories of desperate conflict can be
found in books on hunting and natu.
raj history, and not a few of where
the animals horns have become en-.
twined and death has been their only
release. The two above We're obtained
last year and show that the animals
were IN the prime of life. With the
heads are the two skins of the heads
SO that they may be remounted an6
appear as in life.
The skins of themselves would we'll.
nigh cover an OK and the ears make
a fair sample of saddle blanket.
Insect Pests in Brazil.
I should take a small gang of prac.
teal coffee planters from Ceylon with
good digestions to be not afraid OF
ghiggars, ticks and Berne fies-to say
nothing of the dear little mosquito.
The writer had extracted during -four
years in Brazil no less than 200 ghiggars
from underneath every toenail of both
feet. The Portuguese, Brazilians, Ital.
ians and Spaniards called it a recrea.
ton on Sunday to dig them IL of each
others feet. OF all the vile insects
on earth, the Berne fly is the worst.