Chap. V.
Of the Beasts of the forrest.[344]
Now that I have made a rehearsall of the birds and fethered Fowles, which participate most of aire, I will give you a description of the beasts; and shew you what beasts are bred in those parts, and what my experience hath gathered by observation of [{74}] their kinde and nature. I begin with the most usefull and most beneficiall beast which is bredd in those parts, which is the Deare.
Deare of 3. kindes.
There are in this Country three kindes of Deare, of which there are greate plenty, and those are very usefull.
Mose or red deare.
First, therefore, I will speake of the Elke, which the Salvages call a Mose:[345] it is a very large Deare, with a very faire head, and a broade palme, like the palme of a fallow Deares horne, but much bigger, and is 6. footewide betweene the tipps, which grow curbing downwards: Hee is of the bignesse of a great horse.
Mose or deare greater than a horse, the height of them 18. hand fulles.
There have bin of them seene that has bin 18. handfulls highe: hee hath a bunch of haire under his jawes: hee is not swifte, but stronge and large in body, and longe legged; in somuch that hee doth use to kneele, when hee feedeth on grasse.