A New Elk from the Olympics. 275 



But the southern limit of its range is of far less consequence 

 than the eastern limit, for the important question is, Do or do 

 not the ranges of the Rocky Mt. and Pacific coast Wapiti come 

 together? Apparently they do not. Some of the old reports 

 state that the Pacific Elk formerly inhabited the Cascade range 

 in Washington and Oregon. But even in this case the Cascades 

 are separated, except at the north, by the full breadth of the 

 Great Basin and Plains of the Columbia. North of the Columbia 

 River the forest region of the northern Cascades is practically 

 connected with that of the Rocky Mts. by means of the timber- 

 covered parts of southern British Columbia and the Colville In 

 dian reservation of northern Washington. But this region, so 

 far as I can learn, is not, and never has been, inhabited by Elk. 

 Mr. John Fannin, Curator of the Provincial Museum at Victoria, 

 tells me that while Elk are common on Vancouver Island they 

 do not occur anywhere in British Columbia except along its 

 eastern border in the Rocky Mt. region. 



At the time of my visit to the Olympics the latter part of 

 August the Elk had been recently driven out of the upper Hob 

 and Soled uc canyons by Indians, and the numerous tracks seen 

 were 10 days or 2 weeks old. Well-beaten trails followed the 

 crests of the higher ridges and traversed the principal valleys. 

 Many of these trails, with little labor, can be made available for 

 horses and afford almost the only means of penetrating the region. 



Mr. W. A. Perry has published the following account of the 

 way Indians kill Elk in these mountains. He says : " The prin 

 cipal Indian method of hunting the Elk, in the Olympic Range, 

 is by driving them over precipices. Selecting a well-known 

 spot, on a well traveled Elk-trail, they will lie in wait for weeks, 

 until a band appears coming down the mountain. The place 

 usually selected is one where the trail curves around some great 

 rock, just at the edge of a precipice a hundred feet or more in 

 height. A scout, stationed high up the mountain, gives notice 

 of the approach of a band, and then the Indians mass at the 

 lower end of the curve, while others conceal themselves above 

 the curve. As soon as the band passes the latter, they spring to 

 their feet, rush down the trail, yelling and firing guns. The 

 Indians at the lower end of the curve do the same, and the 

 Elk. finding themselves surrounded, leap over the cliff and are 

 crushed on the rocks below."* 



*The Big Game of North America. Edited by G. 0. Shields, p. 53, 

 1890. 



