th a roaring sound, and a rattling and crashing
of branches that is wonderfully impressive to hear, and nothing at all
to tell about.

I had made one or two rough sketches as I lay on the ground, but the
photographs were failures.

[Illustration: XII. A young investigator among the Deer at Fort
Yellowstone
_Photo by E. T. Seton_]

[Illustration: XIII. Elk in Wyoming: (a) "Dawn" _Photo by E. T. Seton_
(b) "Nightfall" _Photo by G. G. Seton_]

This band contained only cows engaged in growing their calves. According
to Elk etiquette, the bulls are off by themselves at a much higher
elevation, engaged in the equally engrossing occupation of growing their
antlers. Most persons are surprised greatly when first they learn that
the huge antlers of the Elk, as with most deer, are grown and shed each
year. It takes only five months to grow them. They are perfect in late
September for the fighting season, and are shed in March. The bull Elk
now shapes his conduct to his weaponless condition. He becomes as meek
as he was warlike. And so far from battling with all of their own sex
that come near, these big "moollys" gather in friendly stag-parties on a
basis of equal loss, and haunt the upper woods whose pasture is rich
enough to furnish the high power nutriment needed to offset the
exhausting drain of growing such mighty horns in such minimum time.

They are more free from flies too in these high places, which is
important, for even the antlers are sensitive while growing. They are
even more sensitive than the rest of the body, besides being less
protected and more temptingly filled with blood. A mosquito would surely
think he had struck it rich if he landed on the hot, palpitating end of
a Wapiti's thin-skinned, blood-gorged antlers. It is quite probable that
some of the queer bumps we see on the finished weapons are due to
mosquito or fly stings suffered in the early period of formation.

THE BUGLING ELK

During the summer the bulls attend strictly to their self-development,
but late August sees them ready to seek once more the mixed society of
their kind. Their horns are fully grown, but are not quite hardened and
are still covered with velvet. By the end of September these weapons are
hard and cleaned and ready for use, just as a thrilling change sets in
in the body and mind of the bull. He is full of strength and vigour, his
coat is sleek, his neck is swollen, his muscles are tense, his horns are
clean, sharp, and st