50 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



The trail C is that of a full-grown cow; a cow, because at 

 L the creature had stopped and straddled (told by the hoof- 

 marks LH, LH) to leave the liquid sign; and full-grown, 

 because the hoof-mark is 4 inches long. 



Her trail shows no sign of alarm. At D she lay down, 

 but rose up after she had been long enough to melt the snow — 

 perhaps an hour; looked about with the usual watchfulness of 

 a cow, and lay down again in the same place for nearly as 

 long, as shown by the second mark, not quite tallying with 

 the first. 



The trail E is that of a calf of the year, born late in May, 

 and not yet (October) quite weaned. He lay down by his 

 mother. But see, each bed is still wet with melted snow, 

 and the tracks that were a couple of hours old are now quite 

 fresh. We have jumped the three Elk. 



They sprang up when they heard us coming through the 

 woods. See the long strides of the bull as he trotted off, no 

 longer trailing his toes; see how all three fell into line! But 

 what is this sign at J ? That animal stayed to do something 

 that all Deer do every few hours in cold weather, and nearly 

 always on rising. She was not greatly alarmed (less so than 

 the bull), or she would not have stayed, for the small quantity 

 shows that she was not greatly pressed, therefore we may yet 

 see them, for the Elk will swing round, probably to the left, 

 as that is uphill, till they either see us or get our wind. Quick, 

 now — a rapid advance — keeping a sharp lookout — here we 

 are at the edge of an open glade, and there across it, gazing 

 toward us, are the Elk. For a moment they stand, then up 

 go their noses, and away they trot at speed, with the cow, as 

 usual, in advance. 



SPRING- The great haven of the Rocky Mountain Elk is the 



Yellowstone Park. Thither, as the snow melts, the Elk bands 

 wend their way from the lower winter range along the Snake 

 River, and other Park-born streams. 



YOUNG Xhe cows remain in the rich upper valleys, but the bulls 



go on and form another social circle still higher up. The 



