WAPITI, the name given by the North American Indians to Cervus canadensis, a native of North America, ranging from the Carolinas to lat. 56-57° N. It is closely allied to but considerably larger than the stag, standing about 54 inches at the shoulder; yellowish brown on the upper parts; sides gray, long coarse hdir in front of neck, like a dew lap; antlers large, brow-tine duplicated. It frequents low grounds, or woody tracts near savannahs or marshes. The venison is of little value, as it is coarse and dry; but the hide makes excellent leather. It is called also, but errone ously, the elk and gray moose.
WAR, a contest between nations and States (international war), or between parties in the same state (civil war), carried on by force of arms, and re sorted to either for purposes of advan tage or of revenge. Formerly, war was waged at the will of despotic monarchs; noW wars usually arise, in the first in stance, from disputes concerning terri torial possessions and frontiers, unjust dealings with the citizens of one state by another, questions of race and senti ment, jealousy of military prestige, or mere lust of conquest. Civil wars arise from the claims of rival competitors for the supreme power in a state, or for the establishment of some important point connected with civil or religious liberty. In all cases, the object of each contending party is to destroy the power of the other by defeating or dispersing his army or navy, by the occupation of some important part of his country, such as the capital, or the principal administrative and commercial centers, or the ruin of his commerce, thus cut ting off his sources of recuperation in men, money, and material. An interna
tional or public war can only be auth orized by the sovereign power of the nations, and previous to the commence ment of hostilities it is now usual for the state taking the initiative to issue a declaration of war, which usually takes the form of an explanatory mani festo addressed to the neutral states. An aggressive or offensive war is one carried into the territory of a hither to friendly power; and a defensive war is one carried on to resist such aggres sion. Certain laws, usages, or rights of war are recognized by international law. By such laws it is allowable to seize and destroy the persons or property of armed enemies, to stop up all their channels of traffic or supply, and to appropriate everything in an enemy's country necessary for the support or subsistence of the invading army. On the other hand, though an enemy may lawfully be starved into a surrender, wounding, except in battle, mutilation, and all cruel and wanton devastation, are contrary to the usages of war, as are also the bombarding of a defenseless town, firing on a hospital, the use of poison in any way, or torture to extort information from an enemy.