Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-09-17


their huge bodies, and squealing saw
agely. They were evenly matched III
weight, strength, and courage; and
push as they might, neither got the
upper hand, first one yielding a few
inches, then the other while they
swayed to and fro in their struggles.
smashing the bushes and ploughing
up the soil.
Finally they separated and stood
some little distance apart, under the
great pines; their sides heaving, and
columns of steams rising from their
nostrils through the frosty air of the
Frightening morning. Again they
rushed together with n crash, and each
strove nightly to overthrow the other.
or get past his guard; but the branch
ing antlers caught every vicious lunge
and thrust. This set-to was stopped
rather curiously. One of the unlocking
elk was yearling; the other though
scarcely as heavy-bodied as either OF
the fighters, had a finer head. He was
evidently much excited by the battle,
and he now began to walk towards the
two combatants, nodding his head ANA
uttering Il queer, whistling noise. They
dared not leave their fanks uncovered
to his assault and as he approached
they promptly separated, and walked
off side by side Il few yards apart. In
moment, however, one spun round and
jumped ut his old adversary, seeking
to stab him in his unprotected flank:
but the latter was just as quick, and as
before caught the rush on his horns
They closed as furiously as ever; bu'
the utmost either could do was to in
fict one or two punches on the neck
and shoulders of his foe, where the
thick hide served as a shield. Again
the peace-maker approached. nodding
his head, whistling, and threatening;
and again they separated.
This was repeated once or twice; and
l began to be afraid lest the breeze
which was very light and puffy should
shift and give them my wind. So,
resting my rifle on my knee | fired
| twice. putting one bullet behind the
| shoulder of the peace-maker, and the
other behind the shoulder Of one of the
combatants. Both were deadly shots,
! but. as so often with waplti neither of
the wounded animals at the moment
showed any signs of being hit. The
| yearlinG ran Off unscathed. The other
/ three crowded together and trotted be
hind some spruce on the left, while we
ran forward for another shot In a
moment one fell; whereupon the re
naming two turned and came back
tl,a tA1n e.. IL xlN%
AS we opened fire they broke into n
numbering gallop, but were both
downed before they got out of sight in
the timber.
The wapiti is, next to the moose, the
most quarrelsome and pugnacious of
American deer. 1t cannot be said that
! it is ordinarily a dangerous beast tc
hunt; yet there are instances in which
wounded wapiti. incautiously approach.
ed to within striking distance, have Sc
verely misused their assailants, both
with their antlers and their forefeet.
However, the fiercest wapiti bull,
when in a wild state, fees the neigh.
borhood of man with the same panic
terror shown by the cows; and he
makes no stand against grisly, though
when his horns are grown he has little
fear of either wolf or cougar if on his
guard and attacked fairly. The chief
battles of the bulls are of course waged
with one another. Before the begin
ming of the rut they keep by them
selves: singly, while the sprouting
horns are still very young at which
time they lie in secluded spots and
move about as little as possible; il
large bands later In the season. Al
the beginning of the fall these bands
join with one another and with tha
bands of cows and calves which hav"
likewise been keeping to themselves
during the late winter, the spring and
the summer. Vast herds are thus
sometimes formed. containing. in the
old days when wapitl We're plenty.
thousands of head. The bulls now be.
gin to fight furiously with one another,
| and the great herd becomes split into
| smaller ones. Each of these has one
master bull, who has won his position
| by savage battle, and keeps it by over
! coming every rival, whether a solitary
! bull, or the lord of another harem, who
! challenges him. When not fighting or
! love-making he is kept on the run,
chasing away the young bulls who ven
! ture to pay court to the cows He has
! hardly time TO eat or sleep, and soon
! becomes gaunt and worn to de.
/ gree.
| The battles between the bulls rarely
| result fatally. After longer or
! shorter period of charging, pushing.
| and struggling the heavier or more
! enduring of the two begins to shove
| his weaker antagonist back and round;
! and the latter then watches his chance
! and bolts, hotly, but as rule harm
lessly, pursued for a few hundred
| yards. The massive branching antlers
serve as effective guards against the
most wicked thrusts. While the an
tagonists are head on, the worst that
can happen is punch on the shoulder
which will not break the thick hide,
! though 1. may bruise the flesh under.
meath.
Wapiti keep their antlers until the
spring, whereas deer and moose lose
theirs by mid-winter. The bulls be
havior in relation to the COW is mere
M VNN-