77/ a: iiooffj) aximaj.s of tiif yfllowstone 



93 



Tameness. It is the accustoiiu'd thing- 

 for troops of deer to make the round of 

 tlie kitchens at Fort YeUowstone getting 

 a biscuit here, a bit of h'ttuce there, 

 at the next house perhajjs a turnip or a 

 i)eet. For years one large and particu- 

 larly fierce-looking buck came habitu- 

 ally to the trooper's (juarters for scraps 

 from the tal)le. 



The bighorn, or Rocky Mountain 

 sheep, is one of the notable sights of the 

 Yellowstone Park. Retiring as it does 

 in summer to the tops of the highest 

 mountains, some effort is required to 

 reach its haimts. But when it makes its 

 appearance near the coach road on 

 Mount Washbm-n, or when the winter 

 storms drive it to the lower levels, then 

 one has the opportunity of making the 

 acquaintance of this most interesting 



mammal. Within the park limits it is 

 \"ery tame and illustrates to a marked 

 degree the changes that protection has 

 worked in this wild, timid, hunted ani- 

 mal of the old days. The scouts spread 

 hay for it all through the winter along 

 the main road up the Gardiner River 

 canon. There are at present about two 

 hiuidred and fifty in the park, but they 

 do not seem to l)e increasing at a satis- 

 factory rate. Yet they seem to be 

 breeding well and many lambs are seen 

 each year. The panthers get a few and 

 possibly coyotes catch some of the lambs; 

 still the hal)it of the sheep to keep near 

 cliffs and their climbing abilities, protect 

 them from these foes. It is possible that 

 the sheep go outside the park and being 

 miafraid, fall easy prey to the limit er. 

 While sheep are perhaps the least inter- 









vhMM 



The bighorn or Hocky Mountain sheep is very tame in the Yellowstone. It retires to the tops of the high- 

 est mountains in summer, being able to climb up and down steep cliffs at high speed: in winter it may be driven 

 tojow levels_by severe storms. There are thought to be some two hundred and fifty bighorns in the park 



