The Yellowstone Park 
dense pine forest; a soil producing a variety 
of wild fruits, berries, and roots; a slowly de- 
caying vegetation upon which flourish grubs 
and ants, delicate morsels to Bruin—all 
tend to furnish an environment suitable to 
the omnivorous bear. Black bears are the 
most common, but silvertips abound, many 
of them of great size and strength. They 
are undoubtedly increasing in numbers, but 
unless attacked are harmless; and of the 
thousands of visitors to the Park every year | 
have yet to learn of one injured by them. 
Of the smaller animals, such as the dif. 
ferent kinds of the felide,— including moun- 
tain-lions,— foxes, wolves, porcupines, noth- 
ing need be said, save that they find within 
the reservation the essential conditions of a 
home. Two animals, however,—the wolverene 
and the beaver,—demand more than mere 
mention: the former on account of its rarity 
in the Rocky Mountains, and the consequent 
danger it runs of extermination, and the latter 
on account of the never-failing interest which 
they excite in the tourist, and the frequency 
with which their dams and habitations may 
be seen along the traveled routes. The wol- 
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