THK MUSEUM. 



II 



and black-tailed jack rabbits {Lcpus 

 caiiipcstris and L. tcxianus), and the 

 pigm\' rabbit [Lcpus ida/iocnsis),ionnA 

 here and there among the rocks. None 

 of these were encountered after enter- 

 ing the pines. Badgers are numerous 

 on the plain at lower altitude, but 

 they are wary and hard to get. In 

 the sandy soil they can dig faster than 

 a man with a shovel. Marmots {Arc- 

 to luys), are not uncommon among the 

 rocks that form the river banks, and 

 the woods were made lively by the 

 chattering of the pine squirrels {Scitir- 

 II s.) Little striped squirrels (Tamias 

 quadrivittatus), are frequently seen 

 on the lava rocks, and continue even 

 to the highest limits of timber, having 

 a wide range of altitude. On the 

 mountains there is plenty of large 

 game, if one does not care for ame 

 laws. We were out for other purpos- 

 es, however, and did not bother them. 



The Canada porcupine is fairly 

 abundant among the pines, and it was 

 no uncommon thing for our boys to 

 drag one of the sticky things into 

 camp. From one of these I secured a 

 tape worm. In the mesenteru of the 

 intestines they were quite abundant 

 and some 50 were taken from a single 

 individual. Dr. C. W. Stiles, of the 

 Smithsonian, pronounced it a new 

 species, and gave it a name, Andrya 

 aniericarta. Specimens have been 

 sent to most of the important museums 

 of the world so that our e.xpedition re- 

 sulted in some benefit to science. 



The following table of altitudes 

 may be of assistance to the reader 

 gaining a proper conception of the re- 

 gion traversed. 



Idaho Falls 4750 



Big Butte Ferry . . 48 50 



Summit of Butte 5 500 



Sarilda, 105 miles north of Idaho 



Falls 5000 



Island Park, 25 miles north of 



Sarilda 6300 



Madison River, Park line 6S00 



Timber begins at Sarilda. This is 

 a ranch in the desert waste, i 5 miles 

 north of St. Anthony, which is the 

 county seat of Fremont County. Di- 

 rectly east of Sarilda the bold, rocky, 

 precipitous, and ever majestic Teton, 

 with its three summits, lifts its lofty 

 head above the plains. Though 70 

 miles away, it is yet plainly visible, 

 and on occasions of e.xceptionahy clear 

 atmosphere the great crags and preci- 

 pices are plainly visible near its sum- 

 mit. This is one of the most beautiful 

 mountains in the West, and its sum- 

 mit has never yet been pressed by 

 mortal foot. 



From Sarilda the road lies through 

 canons and over mountains for some 

 20 miles. The road is through beauti- 

 ful gorges with high walls of lava, 

 broken into huge blocks, between and 

 among which tall and stately pines are 

 growing. In the canons there is a 

 great profusion of flowers, an abund- 

 ance of which were collected, but are 

 not yet worked up. After following 

 the road for 20 miles we reach Island 

 Park, which needs a chapter itself. 



Do Birds Reason? 



In the Spring of 1S94 I put up two 

 high poles in my yard; at the top of 

 these I placed two boxes, each con- 

 taining two compartments; one of 

 these poles was intended for my old 

 associates the Purple Martins, (/^ 

 Purpurea) who generally arrived be- 

 tween the middle and last week of 

 April; to sojourn with us, until the 



