The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-06-14
HUNGRY MOOSE.
Will Dive Into Water Fifteen Feet Dee,
n Co

| NIucH 1nIOrmat1On concerning the
nature and habits of the moose is
furnished by J. A. Turnbull, who has
just returned to St. Paul from a trim
OF two and a half months in the wilds
OF northern Minnesota, on the Can
adam boundary.
"F'ew persons have any conception
OF the astuteness of these animals, :"
said Mr.. Turnbull. "They possess a.
Keenness OF scent and hearing that is
almost beyond belief and an intelli-
gence that is seldom credited TO them
by any one except those studying
them and their ways.
I'm the section of the country where
we were the larger part of our STAY
moose were exceptionally plentiful,
and we had the finest opportunities to
observe their actions. We. followed
them from one place to another, en-
deavoring not to brighten them, and
all the while noticing them very
closely.
lin the mating season, which CON-
mences around Sept. 20 and ends
about the middle of October, the bulls
are exceedingly vicious. while the
COWS are timid and seek the deepest
forests, being easily frightened. It is
my opinion that the males kill many
OF their mates at this time.
1.-The COWS soon betake themselves
to some island in order that they may
not be disturbed by wolves or other
wild animals. The moose calves are
about as homely and unsightly as
anything I have ever seen. Their
heads are nearly as long as their
bodies, and when they are three or
four weeks old they weigh about 100
pounds.
1.-The calf and it's mother remain
together for about nine months, the
mother of course providing food and
shelter for the younger animal, But
after that length of time has elapsed
she will try to get away. In order to
do this they will often travel miles up
stream, so as to leave no scent, and,
as rule, they succeed in accomplish
ing their purpose:
1.-The bulls have peculiar granting
sound whereby they call to the COWS.
A man can initiate the call after long
practice, but not so perfectly as to
deceive them. The only way in which
this ruse can be successfully carried
out is to make your call at the same
time that the moose make their noise.
In this manner I have called them
under the branches of the tree in
which I have been sitting from dis
tances as great as a mile or more.
"The males also have an odd habit
of striking their antlers against trees,
making sound that rings clear as a
bell, after which they below loud and
long. On quiet night they can be
heard miles away. believe this is
their mode of expressing defiance and
challenging rival to contest.
| "It is astonishing to see them 90
through the woods while bearing their
immense branching antlers. They
calculate the distance between two
trees to nicely and hardly ever
strike a branch. But perhaps the
strangest part of their performance
is that this does not seem to retard
their speed in the slightest.
| tsTp tho c,,r,roor +bo1, ooo1- 49,.
where they will not be pestered by
flies, and stay there during most of
the warm weather. AS they are not
built to reach, the grass with their
jaws, being very high in the fore
quarters, they feed on lily pads,
roots, watercress and moose maple
during the summer.
1.-The watercress grows chiefly in
deep water, and to reach it [ have
seen moose dive in water from ten to
fifteen feet in depth, leaving only their
heels visible. They stay under from
a minute to minute and half, and
usually do their diving at night.
When they have filed their large Jaws
they proceed to sort out such parts of
the food as they want and eat it leis-
urely.
"When autumn approaches they
take to the rocks and high places,
where they live on yellow birch and
white willow tops. I have seen them
stand on their hind legs, reach the
top of a birch tree fifteen feet above
the ground, snap it off and then pull
off the young shoots. In the winter
they sustain themselves on lichens,
ground hemlock and white cedar. -
"When the snow becomes deep and
the temperature is far below zero
they herd together in some dense
cedar swamp and trample down the
snow. Often as many as sixty gather
at. one time in this way. "-Baltimore
| Sun. F' '' 80"