The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-12-10
CALLING THE MOOSE.
HOW THE ANIMALS ARE LURED
 TO THEIR PREY.
Protection Accorded in Recent Years Has Made the Moose More Numerous Interesting Story Regarding the Animal and Its Modes of Living,

Animal and Its Modes of Living,
 All through Northern Maine and Canada, hunters and guides are now busy in the woods calling the moose and thus endeavoring to lure it to it's doom. The protection accorded to the animal in recent years has increased it's numebns, and the signs of moose in the woods are more plentiful now than in any time in the last ten years, although in Maine the animals have gone deeper inti the woods, so that hunter must go far to get a good spec inlen. The season began in New Bruns- wick and Eastern Quebec on Septem- ber 15, in Western Quebec on October l an in Maine on October 15. Maine allows only six weeks for moose hunt ing, or until December i, and only bulls having at least two tines to their horns may be killed. Few fine specimens have yet been brought in, the hunters who go far into the woods for the big bulls not returning, usually, until nea the end of the season. The later a moose Is killed the better its condit- ion, and so the veteran hunters are never in hurry to get the one ami nal allowed by law.
 The beautiful dark coloring so much admired in the heads and skins of the moose becomes more aceentuated with the advance of the winter season. This fact, so well known to the old moose hunters is the more remarkable, as al- most every woodland neighbor of the moose is provided with natural dis guise in the winter in the shape of perceptible whitening of it's hair or fur, which renders it comparatively indis- tinguishable from the surrounding snow. The caribou tunrns nearly white in winter, while the weasel, the ermne and the American hare become the col cor of snow But the moose is the monarch of the forest and needs no disguise. He fears no beasts of prey that inhabits these Northern regions,
 While the glossy black of winter in the color of the bull moose is highly prized 1 nthe trophies of the chase, it is unsafe for the hunter to leave the selection of his game until too late in the season, for then he may find that the best heads have lost their horns. These are sometimes shed in November, generally in December, and sometimes though most frequently in the case of the smaller specimens, retained till January. Tn older bulls are usually the first to shed their antlers. Some of the enormous horns shed by veteran bulls are occasionally picked up by hunters and others, and often are mounted by expert taxidermists with good effect upon the heads from which other sets had been cast.
 The life history of tn emoose is in- teresting. When the snow has left the ground entirely bare late in April or early in May, the moose migrate from their winter haunts and approach the marshes, ponds and rivers where they search for their summer food, consist ing of the various aquatic plants which flourish there. Their favorite diet is the water lily, on which they brouse as soon as 1t makes it's appearance on the surface of the water, always wad- ing deep into the water and dragging up the plant by the root, and frequent ly keeping the head for minute or more at time under the water. When they canot obtain the water lily they feed upon the rushes.
 About this time or littel later the females go apart, seeking the most im- penetrable thickets near or bordering on the water and their bring forth their young. Animals two years old never produce more than one at birth. Those of three years and upward all -most always produce two, and occas- sionally, though rarely, there are three littlei ones at birth. As the seaso nad- ,vances the moose frequent water more and more, often remaining in it for hours at a time in the heat of midsum- mer, not only to enjoy it's cooling eff feet. but also to escape the plague of flies, from which they are great suf- ferers. There are huge insects that burrow deep into the flesh of the moose to lay their eggs.
 A heavy thunderstorm seems to af- ford the acme of enjoyment to the moose. They swim back and forth during it's continuance, apparently in a high state of delight.
 The female during her vtvits to the water hides her young with great care to protect them from the ferocity of the old males, who are unnatural par ents and would destroy them. The mother generally selects a clump of large bushes, or spruce thicket, which from its density, prevents the male from reaching them.
 The horns of the bull begin to sprout in April and grow rapidly Generally by September they have lost their mos sy covering or in other words, are cut of the velvet. At this period the males are frequently fat, and generally fierce and savage, ready to attack man or anything else that stands in their way Tn the course of a few weeks they grow thin and poor because of their contin- ua lroaming and their many combats and the fact that at this time they also refust food. At this period the olud below of the male is frequently heard and distinguished by the hunter at 6 distance of two or three miles, in the stiffness of the night. The bulls make another noise which from the nature of it's sound, the hunters call chopping It is produced by forcibly bringing together and separating the jaws in a peculiar manner. This, as the name implies, resembles the sound of an axe used at a great distance.
 The call of a COW, which the hunter initiates usually through a horn or